Reasons
by youkai-exterminator-maiden
Summary: Alright, everyday is the same as always until Shigure has a mysterious feeling, then, Tohru is missing. When she is found, she is different. So different that she is having ideas about leaving Shigure's house...Teen rated because of language.
1. Chapter 1: What Happened That Day

Ok, this is my first story. So, if it's bad, just let me know. Thanx.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket. Otherwise, I'd be rich, which I'm unfortunately not...

Here it goes...

**Chapter 1: What Happened That Day...**

"Ahhh! Another day! Looks like this is going to be a bright one!" Tohru exclaimed as she woke up on Monday morning. She dressed for school and went downstairs early in order to prepare breakfast as usual. Everything seemed to be ordinary, perfect, and in place. As she was placing the broth and dim sum on the table, the boys came in.

"Good morning, Honda-san." Yuki said.

"G'Mornin', Tohru" This was Kyo (no duh).

"Good morning and thank you so much, Tohru-kun!" sang Shigure. "Looks like our princess keeps blooming more and more every day!"

"**Don't start…"** Warned Yuki.

"**Or else."** Kyo continued.

"Hehe… alright" replied Shigure, nervously.

After all had eaten breakfast, Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo began to get ready for school.

"Goodbye, Shigure-san!" Tohru said as they headed out the door.

"Goodbye, Tohru-kun!" Shigure yelled back. Once the door closed, Shigure suddenly felt a pang of pain in his head and collapsed. Mind spinning and heart rapidly beating, Shigure reached for the corner of the table for balance. _What is this? I haven't had this for years. Could it be? One of those… _

Shigure looked up and through the window. Seeing the trio was safe, he felt relieved and felt normal again. _Maybe it was just me. Something surely can't happen on a day like this. But…_ Shigure thought, _I have to keep an eye on them…_

After school, the three were walking home together.

"Honda-san," Yuki said, "I was just wondering, do you like living with us? I mean, I know you've been with us for a long time and I'm not trying to chase you out, but, are you okay with the curse and everything?"

"Oh, I'm fine!" replied Tohru with a smile." I wouldn't live anywhere else! It's so much fun living with all of you!"

Yuki smiled at this. Remembering all that has happened to the members of the Sohma family with her as a witness.

When they arrived home, Shigure was waiting for them on the porch.

"What are you doing here!" yelled Kyo. "You usually wait for us inside! Are you trying to pull some damn trick or something!"

"My, my, Kyo-kun!" Shigure whimpered," You are so cynical! Why can't I ever get a 'hi Shigure, nice to see you again' once in a while from you guys. The only one to say that is Tohru-kun, in which I don't mind."

"Why you…" growled Kyo.

"Give it up, stupid cat." Interrupted Yuki. "Anyway, what are you doing here, Shigure?"

"Nothing," replied Shigure innocently. "Just wanted to see that all of you came home" _Good, seems that nothing has happened. Phew! _thought Shigure. _So, it really was me…_

"Oh no!" exclaimed Tohru. "I forgot about some ingredients for dinner! I'm going to stop by the grocery store really quick!"

"Okay," replied Yuki. "Do you need me to come with you?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm only going to buy a couple of things!" Tohru said while putting her coat on.

"Remember to be safe." Said Yuki.

"I will!" replied Tohru as she rushed out the door.

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_Wow, what a day!_ Tohru thought as she was walking back from the grocery store. _I wonder what tomorrow will bring!_ She continues, optimistically. Then, a shadow looms over her thoughts. _It's only a couple more weeks until graduation._ She realizes. _I haven't even found a way to break the Juunishi curse… I should think harder then! I will never give—_

A hand and a silver katana interrupted her thoughts.

All right! That's Chapter one! I know it isn't really that good. I'm trying my total hardest! Please be patient with me! ;o


	2. Chapter 2: When Hunger Strikes

Okay, here's the second chapter! Please tell me if it is too short or too long! I guess I really need some ideas on how much to write. -;

I'd like to say thank you for the reviews I've received! Thanks, Kurenai Chinoumi! Also for my friends who has given me some ideas and helped me write some of this chapter! You guys have given me some support to help me in this! I'm hoping to create a sequel for this story. Hmm…

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket. Natsuki Takaya owns it!

Here I go…

**Chapter 2: When Hunger Strikes**

Yuki was sitting on his bed finishing his homework. _Hmm, where's Tohru?_ Thought Yuki. _She should be here by now. _He looked at his watch. _Eight thirty. Didn't she leave at six o'clock?_

Then, his stomach started to grumble. "Ugh, hungry…" He murmured. _ I should eat something- no! I'll just wait for Tohru. She'll come back any time now…_

He stood up from his bed and went downstairs to wait at the front door. To his surprise, Kyo was at the front of the house. He heard crashes and bangs. _Hm…_ Thought Yuki._ Kyo myst be training in the front. How weird. He's usually in the back of the house when he's training. Oh well, I'll just ignore him._ Yuki sat down and continued his homework. But, a constant noises interrupted his thoughts.

_swoosh, punch, crack, boom_

_Swoosh, punch, crack, boom_

_Swoosh, crack, thwack, boom._

Yuki got really frustrated, anger marks (more than usual) appeared on his forehead. Yuki then opened the sliding door, stepped onto the porch, and yelled "QUIT IT, STUPID CAT!"

"WHY YELL AT ME, DAMN RAT!" Kyo responded loudly.

"BECAUSE, YOU IDIOT, WHO ELSE IS MAKING NOISES!" shouted Yuki at the top of his lungs.

"My, my, what's all the racket!" Shigure interrupted in a mock British accent. "What's wrong with you two? Not that yelling everyday at this house is unusual."

"NOTHING'S WRONG WITH ME! IT'S HIM!" yelled both Yuki and Kyo at the same time, pointing their fingers at each other accusingly.

"STOP YELLING," Shigure yelled in his mock British accent, "OR I SHALL PUT BOTH OF YOU IN THE BRIG!"

"…?" said Yuki.

"Do we even have one?" asked Kyo.

"If we had one, our problems would be solved by now. " Yuki said, leering at Kyo.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, DAMN RAT!" yelled Kyo furiously.

"QUIET, you peoples!" Shigure says in a rapster tone.

"What's up with that!" asked Yuki and Kyo at the same time.

"STOP COPYING ME, YOU FRICKIN' STUPID CAT!" yelled Yuki (finally exploding).

Kyo was shocked for a few seconds before he yelled back "YOU STOP COPYING ME, YOU DIRTY, STUPID GIRLY-GIRL!"

Yuki yelled, "YOU ARE SO GOING TO PAY, YOU DAMN, STUPID, IGNORAMUS, IDIOT OF A FRICKIN' BEEP CAT!"

Kyo and Shigure stood stunned. Shigure sang, "I'm telling on you to Tohru!"

"SHUT UP!" Kyo and Yuki bursted.

" Sigh," said Shigure, ignoring the remark. "Only Tohru can fix this mess."

Silence follows after that remark, only to be broken by a long, loud, grumble.

"I'm hungry!" whined Shigure.

"She said she was buying a few ingredients for dinner" said Yuki. "But… she's been gone for two hours."

"WHAT!" Kyo yelled in surprise.

"Who's going to cook! My beloved housewife is gone!" Shigure sobbed. "Who's going to cook dinner!"

"Not me!" said Kyo. "I'm looking for Tohru!" With that, Kyo zipped off, leaving Yuki and Shigure to decide.

"Don't look at me." Said Yuki with an I'm-not-doing-it tone. "You stay here." Then, Yuki walked off to look for Tohru.

Shigure silently walked into the house. _Is this it?_ Shigure wondered._ Is this why I felt that gloom this morning? I should have known this would happen…_

He entered his office, sat down, and turned on the computer. Then, the gloom returned. He could hear the beating of his heart, the beats booming in his head, the rhythm going faster and faster. _No… last time I had this… _Images flashed through his head. A crying baby with jet black hair, a man on his death bed, and a woman crying.

At this, Shigure started to cry.

Sorry that Tohru is not in this chapter at all! But, don't worry. The next chapter's all about her! I'll try to get that ASAP. Signing off! o


	3. Chapter 3: An Order and a Curse

Okay, here's when I write (type, actually) about Tohru's experience. I know that the genre says that this story is humorous and dramatic, but I'm just having a horrible time sticking to that. If there was a third genre, I'd like to add a little bit of romance. But, as you will soon find out, there's not going to be a lot of that in this story. Just a little bit. Maybe in the sequel… hmm…

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket. I guess you guys should know that by now.

**Chapter 3: An Order and a Curse**

Tohru started to try to squirm out of the hand's grasp, to scream, to call for help. _Oh no! This can't be happening! Mom! Please help me!_

"Stop, or else." Said her mysterious attacker. From the voice, Tohru could tell that her attacker was a man. The katana's blade suddenly appeared next to her neck, silver in the moonlight.

"Please," her attacker continued. "I don't want to hurt you…"

_He sounds friendly…._ Thought Tohru. Then she saw the blade. _But, what if he's one of those weird people Shigure told me about?_ At this thought, Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure appeared in her mind. _They haven't had their dinner yet. I want to go home. I need to go home!_

She bit his hand and ran as fast as she could. She didn't even hear him curse in pain. She just ran, not even looking to see where she was going, carrying the groceries with her.

Tohru continued running out on the empty streets. Then, she started running through the forest. _I have to get there! I _have_ to get there! Mom--!_

Tohru felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and soon tumbled into darkness.

When she came to, Tohru felt pain in her head and felt a small bump on the back of her head. _Ouch! Where am I? What happened? gasp Where's the ingredients!_ She felt the ground around her, which was hard, cold cement. Then, she felt a plastic bag. Drawing the bag close to her, she smelled the inside. The scent of fresh takoyaki filled her nose. _Yes! I still have them. But, wasn't I in the forest before? If so, why is the ground around me cement?_

"You're awake," said a familiar voice.

_No!_ Thought Tohru.

"Let me make this painless," the man continued. "I know where you are staying and what you're trying to do. Don't you know that there's nothing you can do?"  
"What are you talking about?" Tohru questioned. _He can't know about the curse, could he?_

"The chains of the curse cannot be broken. They are everlasting and impenetrable," he snickered. "There's nothing you could do. So, stop trying to break the curse."

He started moving closer. Tohru quietly snuck one of her hands behind her back. She felt a pile of gravel there. She took a handful of gravel and gripped them tightly in a fist.

"It's no use, you know, trying to save your dearest friends from this terrible fate. But, I still admire your persistence." He took a couple more steps closer. "Maybe the reason why you are so persistent is because you love one of the cursed Sohmas…"

Tohru then threw the pieces of gravel she had in her hand at the man and ran. But, a strong force held her back and pushed her hard against the cement wall behind her. She looked up and found the man in front of her. His hands were the force that held her down.

"I'm not done yet, so, don't try to run until I'm finished. Remember, I have this." He motioned to the katana at his right side.

When Tohru looked at the hilt of the katana, she noticed an amber jewel embedded there, glinting in the moonlight.

"Also, I don't want to hurt you," the man continued said. "But, I'll use force if I have to." He let go and took a couple steps back.

Tohru looked up and tried to see what he looked like. Because of the darkness, she couldn't see much. But, she realized that the man was younger than she thought. _Probably my age, more or less,_ She observed. _He has dark eyes,_ she noticed. _Young voice, average built. Can't see anything else._

"I hear that your high school graduation is only a few weeks away." The young man said, looking up into the night sky.

_White skin, some tan, almost like Kyo's. Is he trained in martial arts?_ Tohru thought.

"What do you want?" questioned Tohru. "What does my high school graduation and my friendship with the Sohmas have to do with anything?"

"Here's the deal," said the young man. "You must give up breaking the curse, end your friendship with the Sohmas, and move out of that house. Or else, they will see my katana at its best. Or worst, in their point of view. You must do this before the sixth day after graduation, got it?"

"I will never give up on the Zodiac curse," Tohru protested, lifting her left hand in a fist. "Not until they are free!"

"Then, it looks like I have no other choice." He said. In a flash, he drew his katana and swung the blade toward Tohru's left hand, still in a fist. Tohru tried to withdraw and step back. But, the blade was too fast and the tip glazed the area between her wrist and her knuckles.

Tohru fell to the ground and writhed in pain. She looked at her hand. Despite how small the cut looked and how little blood there was, the pain was immense. _Mom, what is happening! What did he do!_

"I'm very sorry." Said the young man. He took a rock from the ground and striked it against the amber-like jewel on the hilt of the katana. Then, he dropped the rock and rubbed a finger on the surface of the jewel. "Here," he said, and rubbed his fingers together above the cut on Tohru's hand. An amber-colored powder fell from his fingers to the cut, where it entered and settled in Tohru's skin. "This might help."

Tohru looked in wonder and awe as the powder fell and the pain ceased.

"What is this?" she asked.

"I have put some sort of remedy for the pain." He said, looking down.

"Thank you…" mumbled Tohru. _But, then why did he cut my hand in the first place?_

"It may be a cure," the young man continued. "But, it is also a curse."

"What!" said Tohru in surprise and fear.

"In order to end you friendship with the Sohmas, you must not be too kind with them. So, every time you be a little too nice or ignore my orders, the pain will return for a brief moment. It may come at a higher or lower frequency than you just experienced, depending on what you did. If you do not obey my orders by the deadline, the frequency will be at its highest and will be for the rest of your life or until you lose that hand. But, about some time before the deadline, it will give little "signals". So, you won't forget.

"How could you…?" Torhu, looking down, said with a little anger in her voice.

The young man was a little surprised at her anger. "I need to do this," he said, "despite how much I don't want to."

"What's your name?" Tohru mumbled, still looking down.

"What did you say?"

"What is your name?" Tohru repeated a little louder.

"I guess it is only fair. My name is Shintaro."

"Why do you do this" Tohru raised the question.

"Miss Honda, I am only a pawn being played. I had no say and I didn't want to do this". He looked at her, all dirty and in disarray. Then, he looked around to see if anyone was nearby. "You must not tell anyone about me, understand?"

At this, Tohru nodded her head.

"I'm sorry, I was too harsh. Is there anything I could do for you?"

"Yes…please…bring me to… Mom" then, Tohru passed out due to exhaustion.

Shintaro walked over to Tohru and picked her and her groceries up, bridal-style, with ease. _Woah, worked herself over her limit, didn't she?_ He thought, looking at her. _You changed a lot since we last met, years ago. You are a lot stronger now. What changed? Do you really love one of the cursed Sohmas? Or, is it your mother's blood in you? At least she doesn't remember me…_

All of a sudden, thunder boomed and rain poured down from the sky.

"What have I done?" Shintaro said quietly to the sky. "What have I gotten myself into?"

After this, he leaped into the rainy night sky, toward a small Shinto temple, where Kyoko Honda was laid in peace.

But, Shintaro didn't realize that a small, green wallet was left behind on the cement ground.

Sorry it took so long! Now that school is about to start, I won't be able to update this story for a long time. But, I will always be writing in this notebook I have with me. So, the story isn't forgotten! Signing off!


	4. Chapter 4: Memories Held Tightly

Alright, here's Chapter 4!! My life is taking many twists and turns, right now. Sorry for any inconveniences!!

**Chapter 4: Memories Held Tightly**

After some time, Shigure began to pull himself together. He gave a sigh of relief. _I forgot how it felt to cry once in a while. _He thought.

_I think I should let Hatori and Aaya know what's going on._ Shigure logged on to his e-mail account and sent both of his "companions" an e-mail, hoping that they would read it soon. After he turned off the computer, his stomach gave an audible roar.

"Whoa," he said, "down, Bessy!" His face turned from surprised to a thoughtful expression. "When the boys and Tohru come back, they'll probably be hungry…" He got off his chair, stretched, and marched toward the kitchen (literally). "Anyway, I'm hungry and it's better than writing the next manuscript due… I forgot, but soon."

Kyo kept running, letting his body take over mind.

_I might as well just wander. After all, finding her in a neat way wasn't working. Also, it might be easier 'cuz she might have been dozing off with that idiotic expression._

Kyo then stopped running and stood surprised at what he just thought. _Idiotic expression._ He remembered the look on her face when he said that, about two years ago. Her face was a little surprised, taken back. But then, she smiled, and it seemed like happiness was radiating from her face.

Then, the clouds above Kyo gave a thunderous warning.

"Crap" Kyo muttered, and then continued running, eyes probing his surroundings.

He didn't really understand Tohru as much as he would've liked, despite how long he had known and spent time with her. He didn't understand why she would not whine or complain for something almost everyday. Why she was always putting others before herself, even at her own expense. Why she is always so humble and discreet. Why she doesn't see the value of things she gives and yet she doesn't receive. And, why she is always smiling.

Yet, he loved all of these things about her. She wasn't like most girls. Tohru was the only person who understood and accepted him, other than Shishou. Tohru was the only one who went to save him that one night, the first time she saw his true form. She would always try to comfort him and talk to him when others wouldn't. Tohru was always there.

_It's near graduation_, Kyo thought. _I still don't have any future outlooks, other than her… But, I guess I still have time…_

Kyo was so engrossed in his thoughts, that he didn't see another figure, running from the opposite direction.

Yuki continued searching, from street to street, in numerical and alphabetical order, so he could be able to keep track on which street he has already looked on. He looked over every nook and cranny, finding nothing.

_She has to be here somewhere!_ His thoughts were urgent. _She couldn't have just vanished into thin air!!_

He couldn't believe he didn't go grocery shopping with her. He should have. Guilt and grief washed over him like a waterfall. _It's all my fault…What if she is hurt, someone took her, or worse…_

Yuki shook his head. "That can't possibly happen. I'm exaggerating."

He thought about the events which took event previously that day. Her smile, her expression. He couldn't believe that she still didn't regret being involved with the Sohmas, not to mention the cursed ones. Even though she endured much struggle, painful memories, and some amount of criticism, Tohru still stayed with them.

Yuki didn't see Kyo either.

Both of them were surprised as they looked up and returned to reality. Luckily, they were both able to stop before colliding into each other.

"What are you doing here, damn rat?" Kyo asked with an irritated tone.

"I believe I should be asking you that question, way-worse-than-stupid-cat." Yuki returned, with an even more irritated expression.

"If you would get out of my way…" Kyo pushed toward his right.

"Oh no, actually, I got here first." Yuki began pushing to his left, blocking Kyo.

"What the heck are you talkin' about?!" Kyo glared angrily, pushing harder.

"Baka" Yuki said.

Soon, both boys were squished between two walls of two buildings, not realizing that this wasn't a street. It was a bus stop, with an alley. When both of them looked up, they both saw different things, but a similar setting.

The alley was cement, with gravel on the ground and some weeds at the back. But, Yuki saw a frightened little girl in the back, the one from his memories from long ago. While Kyo saw, on the ground, a green notebook wallet and a picture of Kyoko Honda next to a pile of gravel, abandoned.

Sorry it had taken so long to move the story line!! Please check out my latest story, Tsu-Yasha: Feudal Chronicles. Please review and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!!


	5. Chapter 5: Lost and Found

Hi! I've finally finished this chapter after rewriting it over and over again. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fruits Basket…

**Chapter 5: Lost and Found**

Yuki's and Kyo's minds began to race as Kyo picked up the small green notebook.

_Who did Tohru always talk about? _Kyo thought.

_Who taught her all of the lessons she taught us? _Yuki wondered. _Who was she thinking of as she chased me, yelling "Please wait. Please don't leave. I want to go home!" long ago…?_

_Who does she always carry with her, no matter where?_

Only one person came as the answer: Kyoko Honda, "Mom".

Both of them began racing in the same direction.

"Where are you going?" Yuki asked.

"No, where are you going?"

"Well, I'm going to bring Honda-san home."

"Yeah right, you wish."

Despite their bickering, the boys thought the same prayer: "Red Butterfly, please give us the guidance to find your daughter. Please…"

Shintaro sat next to Kyoko Honda's grave, cradling Tohru and her bag of now soaked groceries in his arms.

_Geez, how long does it take for those two to get here? Maybe I sould have brought her straight back to Shigure-san's house…_ He pondered this option when he noticed that she was regaining some consciousness and was shivering.

_I should have thought about that earlier, _he thought as he saw her shiver, _some gentleman I am._

He placed her on the ground so that she was leaning on the gravestone, put his cloak around her to keep her warm, and leaned to whisper in her ear.

"Remember, I'll be watching."

Tohru nodded her head slowly.

Shintaro noticed two cloud dusts and figures coming toward them. "Here they come."

In an instant, Shintaro was gone.

_There!_

Next thing Tohru knew, Yuki and Kyo were at her side, questioning her with "Are you okay"s and "Are you hurt"s. She wanted to smile, to reassure them. But she looked down and didn't reply, not wanting to look at their faces.

"Let's go home." Yuki said softly, realizing that Tohru may be unresponsive due to shock or condition and to get out of the rain.

Both boys were going to carry her when they noticed the other's hands.

"Ahem!" coughed Yuki.

"Don't you-!" argued Kyo.

But then, all of a sudden…poof! Yuki had transformed into a rat. Evidently, he had reached out a little too far.

"Haha!" laughed Kyo. But, then Kyo realized that he can't carry Tohru either.

"Now, how are we going to bring her home?" sighed Yuki.

"I'm calling Hatori." said Kyo, pulling out his cell phone. But, the phone was soaked because of the rain. Kyo began shaking the small device, attempting to revive it. With each attempt his impatience rose and soon boiled over.

"Graaaaaaagh!" Kyo yelled in frustration.

_Peep;beep;beep;ring!_

Kyo turned around and saw the small rat with an ear on its cell phone, which was in tact.

"Ha!" Yuki said smugly. Glares were exchanged before Kyo returned to Tohru's side and Yuki said "Hatori, it's Yuki… oh, really? Shigure told you? Yeah, yes… At the temple. Uh-huh…sure. What?...Fine, yeah…oh,okay. Bye."

Tohru, in the meanwhile, was trying not to smile at Kyo and Yuki. She began feeling dizzy.

"Tohru?" Kyo asked "Can you hear me?"

Tohru nodded.

A small, awkward smile appeared on Kyo's face while he sighed with relief. "Good."

But that smile was replaced with shock as a tear fell down Tohru's cheek.

"Tohru? Tohru!"

Tohru then gave herself up to the fatigue inside her and was enveloped in darkness.

The monotonous sound of rain filled Hatori's car along with silence.

"There, now do we understand each other?" Hatori said with the removable stereo in hand. "If we can't agree on which music is appropriate to listen to, then there will be no music at all."

"Geez, Tori!" whined Ayame in the front passenger seat. "'White and Nerdy' was playing! They don't play that often! But Haru wanted to hear that punk song…"

"It's called 'Last Resort'" Haru said indifferently.

"Whatever!" Ayame said. He put up his right hand. "Tell it to the hand!"

"Isuzu, who was opposite Haru, put up her left hand, "Tell it to the left 'cuz you ain't right."

"P-shaw!" Ayame said, trying to dismiss his evident flaws.

"What?" Rin and Haru said simultaneously.

Ayame then sighed with frustration and slapped his forehead with his palm.

"Enough of that, we're nearly there." Hatori said nonchalantly. All four inside the car began searching for Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru.

"There, at the right," said Haru, pointing.

"Oh no…" Rin's disbelief was evident when she saw the crumpled heap that was Tohru. Kyo was cradling her, in a sense, while Yuki had been signaling to the car on a pole of a fence.


	6. Chapter 6: Recovery, Phase One Complete

Hi everybody!!!! I know that it's been forever, my brainstorming process for this story was interrupted on several occasions. Anyway, here's another one (and I made it longer for you guys), enjoy!!!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fruits Basket…

**Chapter 6: Recovery; Phase One Complete**

He waited on a tree branch until he was sure that Tohru Honda was in Hatori's car.

_Well, phase one complete…I guess. _Shintaro left and headed for the Sohma Estate. _After reporting, I will beg nee-san to give me a day off. If she doesn't let me, then I'll just take off by force._ He leaned his head back, looking at the horizon, the sun's rays painting the sky with colors no artist could ever capture. _I don't care if Finals are today, sleep is what I need. School can wait. _Shintaro then let his thoughts cease. The wind soon filled him, fresh oxygen becoming a depressant; his mental pre-written report for Akito, prepared argument against his sister, and mandatory school thoughts gone.

"_Koichi-kun!"_

Shintaro looked back, stunned at the feminine voice that called out to him. He stopped on a roof and scanned the perimeter, finding nobody on the early morning streets.

"Hmph." He retorted. "I really do need sleep." He continued toward the Estate. "Anyway, I don't think about her…"

The atmosphere was tense as the car zoomed on toward Shigure's house. Tohru, wrapped in a blanket and softly snoring on a pillow on Kyo's shoulder, was in between Kyo and Yuki as a rat on the back seat. With the car radio turned off, the only sound other than the car engine revving was the sound of Isuzu's hooves beating on solid pavement, with Hatsuharu casually talking to the horse on her back. Ayame stared with a thoughtful expression out the window, knowing that by talking he would break Hatori's maximum concentration on the driver's seat.

Suddenly, the car swerved to the right, and all passengers in the vehicle were pushed by strong inertia, thus almost sending the rat out of his seat due to the oversized seat belt. Tires squealed on the cold wet pavement as Hatori desperately tried to make the turn, narrowly missing the horse and her rider, who didn't look worried despite the fact that a car nearly collided into them.

"HEY! WATCH IT, HATORI!!!" Kyo's unmistakably irritated voice filled the vehicle. Hatori then took the chance to adjust the car mirror and look at the back seat. Kyo's hands kept Tohru at arm's length while still having an iron but safe grip on her. Meanwhile, Yuki was clinging for dear life on the seatbelt, slightly shaking as he gripped the belt that was as wide as he was.

"Sorry." Hatori apologized tersely. "Nobody's out here this early in the morning. So I wanted to take advantage of it to get to Shigure's house as quickly as possible."

"WOW, TORI-CHAN!!!!!" Ayame's eyes filled with newfound admiration at his relative. "You are thinking like those stars in action movies, like you are becoming a Japanese James Bond!!"

"Please put your voice down, nii-san". Yuki said with an annoyed tone. "You'll wake up Honda-san."

"But otouto-kun," Ayame argued back, "how can I hold in my praise for Hatori at such a depressing time? It would be good for his soul!"

As the rat and Ayame continued to bicker at a lower volume, Kyo placed the pillow back on his shoulder and placed Tohru's head on the pillow. After staring out of the window for a while, he realized that Tohru was still snoring lightly. _Wow, even with all of the commotion she is still sleeping…maybe something happened last night._

"Oooooooooh! Kyo-kun!!" Ayame said with a glint in his eye as he looked at the back seat using the passenger side mirror. "Why are you looking at Tohru-kun like that?"

Kyo's head jerked upward to look with surprise at Ayame. "What?'

"You had this soft look that turned into a concerned look. Hmm… could it be that you…?"

"**You--!**"

Next thing Ayame knew, pain surged through him from his head."

"Why, Kyonkichi, why did you hit me?"

"**Don't you even think about it?!**" Kyo said angrily, flames igniting in his eyes. "**And didn't I tell you a long time ago not to call me that?!**"

"Kyon, I wasn't even thinking about it!" Ayame's eyes then filled with suspicion. "Bad kitty! I can't believe that you of all people would think such things! Does that mean—OW!"

Ayame then cradled his head in his hands as another surge of pain tore through him.

"Now, let's calm down." Hatori said with a indifference. "No violence in a woman's presence, even if she is sleeping."

Yuki sighed with frustration. _Baka nii-san. _Then, the little rat began to cough.

"Yuki, are you okay?" Hatori asked.

"Yeah, just tired."

"Better take the day off, all three of you." Hatori said sternly, now putting his driving skills mentally in an auto-pilot mode and going into medical expertise. "I know that it's Finals but it would be no good for you to take tests in your current conditions. By the way, I'm going to turn in five seconds."

The passengers then braced themselves for Hatori's next stunt.

"He's turning again." Hatsharu said nonchalantly to the horse. Isuzu's muscles tensed as she skillfully avoided another collision again, reflexes sharp and ready for anything unexpected.

"I've never seen Hatori act so reckless before." Hatsuharu said with no change in his tone. "Wonder what he was like in his high school days..."

and carrying an iron pipe, Hatori had a sense of authority and a black aura around him. Other young teenage troublemakers followed in his wake as he rode his motorcycle around the streets of Tokyo. Determination and hostility filled his eyes with every step he would take as he walked in the night…

_Impossible, _Rin and Haru thought, closing out the image of delinquent Hatori. _Could never have possibly happened, otherwise, he wouldn't be the family doctor…right?_

Isuzu shook her head to get rid of the thought.

"Were we thinking the same thing?" Haru asked.

"No…!" Rin denied, keeping her eyes on the road. "Something got in my eye."

"Okay…do you not like me riding you?"

"I only let your ride this one time because Kyo wanted to stay with Hatori, Ayame doesn't like horse back riding, Yuki is too small to ride and may get really sick, and Hatori doesn't trust Ayame with driving the car."

"Whatever, say what you want…"

"Don't make me ditch you here."

"Like I could care, I could just run from here. Anyway, Hatori told you not to do that and --"

"Why would I have to listen to Hatori?"

"I'm not done. Also, Tohru wouldn't like it if you did that."

Isuzu didn't reply. She picked up her pace, threatening to overtake the car.

"Are you angry?" Haru asked.

"No," the horse replied, "Shigure's house is right there."

"Then why don't you slow down?" Haru asked as the gate to Shigure's land loomed closer.

"Because I want to make a grand entrance."

Shigure was checking his e-mail, eyes exhausted from lack of sleep and too much coffee. Stress lined his face as he checked his cell phone for the millionth time, hoping to get a message from Yuki or Kyo.

_Nothing. _Shigure thought with a sigh. _Could they at least text me? What is the use of giving them cell phones if they don't use them?_

Then Shigure leapt out of his seat when his cell phone began vibrating and the song "Mr. Sandman" filled the melancholy room. He flipped open his cell phone, reading that he got a new text message from Hatori.

"Found Tohru. Coming soon. B ready."

Shigure sighed with relief. _At least someone gave me a warning. Now to open the prepare tea and to open the gate. _After pocketing the small electronic device, he made his way toward the kitchen and started the stove on medium heat, placing the kettle of water on top.

Then, as he was walking toward the gate drowsily, he got another shock of his life. His cell phone vibrated maniacally again, this time ringing the song "White and Nerdy". He quickly grabbed and flipped open the cell phone. An urgent text message from Ayame filled the screen.

"REALLY CLOSE. 2 CLOSE, STAY AWAY FROM GATE!!!!!!

P.S: LISTEN…"

Shigure read the message repeatedly, then listened to the cold morning air. The sound of horse hooves began magnifying with every second. Soon a car engine could be heard. Then, as the sounds became more audible, he realized that they didn't slow in beat. But they became louder and louder. Soon, he realized what Ayame had tried to relay to him.

"Not again!!!" Shigure cried with despair, he then leaped away from the fence. Suddenly, the wooden gate crashed with a bang. As Shigure held on to the ground for dear life, a cloud of dust surrounded him and sound ceased, birds on trees in the forests nearby flew from their perches with surprise at such loud noises so early in the morning.

"You did it this time, Rin." Haru's voice broke the silence.

"Woooo-hoooo!" Ayame's voice filled the air. "What an exciting adventure! I haven't felt so young for so long!"

"Nii-san, you'll wake Honda-san up!" Yuki's angry but quiet voice said.

The dust settled and everyone was looking at the chaos they have caused, with exception of Tohru in a makeshift stretcher made up of blankets with Hatori and Kyo holding a side.

"By the way," Hatori said calmly, "where's Shigure?"

A small whimper caused everyone to look toward the limp figure on the ground.

"My house…why?" Shigure whined sympathetically.

"Oh dear." Hatori said tersely. "The Sohma treasury won't be happy with this."

Shintaro looked in the distance where a flock of birds began fleeing there peaceful perches.

_Hmm…that's where Shigure-san's house is. They probably made it. _He continued on toward the Sohma estate. _Good luck on recovering, Tohru-san._

Shintaro leaped over the Sohma estate fence and went to the Main House. He knocked softly on the fragile door and knelt down awaiting an answer.

"Who is it that disturbes Akito-san so early in the morning?" the head maid asked, opening the sliding door slightly.

"It is me, Guardian Koichi, to report Akito of Phase One that took place last night."

"Yes, come in, we have been expecting you." She replied. "Akito is waiting for you."

Shintaro entered the room silently, leaving his shoes outside. A silent figure was sitting at the front of the room, head looking ahead at the white wall. Shintaro sat in front of the figure with some distance and bowed reverently.

"Good morning, I'm sorry to come so early in the morning."

"Oh no, don't apologize. You followed my orders exactly." The figure stood up and leaned on a wall, looking outside silently. "So, how was phase one, Koichi?"

"It went well, Akito-san." Shintaro replied calmly. "Everything went as planned."

"Well done, you may go home now. There is something there you should look into immediately when you arrive. That is, after you rest, of course."

"Thank you, Akito-san." Shintaro stood up and walked out of the door silently.

As soon as Akito saw Shintaro leap over the fence, Kureno entered the room.

"That Guardian is never going to call you Master, is he?" Kureno asked. "And yet he is heir to the head of the Guardians, how disappointing it must be for you, Akito."

"Quite the opposite, Kureno." Akito said, slowly turning toward him. "He will call me by my title someday. Just wait…"


	7. Chapter 7: Background of a Ronin

I was hoping to get another chapter out before it got too late. I have tried to add borders in my stories, but it never really works out .; Also, Happy Holidays!!!!! o

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fruits Basket…

**Chapter 7: Background of a Ronin**

_'There is something there you should look into immediately when you arrive…'_

Akito's words rang in Shintaro's head as he neared home. His feet were skilled in their rush, his form making no sound above the woods that separate his home from the Sohma Estate. He looked down at his katana, the amber jewel on the hilt glinting in the sun. Untying the sword from his waist, memories appeared in his mind.

_"Koichi," _the patriarchal voice rang in his ears. "_Keep this jewel with you at all times."_

_"But Tou-san," _Shintaro remembered saying, _"Why the amber jewel? It's not as cool as nee-chan's ruby or kaa-san's diamond. Not to mention your powerful sapphire!"_

_"You forgot your first lesson, Koichi," _his father said, patting his little head, _"each jewel's powers depend on the Guardian who has possession of it. Anyway, I have the feeling that this should belong to you. I can tell you are drawn to it, aren't you?"_

The little Shintaro had looked at the jewel as if for eternity, he couldn't take his eyes off of it until his father spoke once again.

_"Here," _the jewel was place in his little hands. _"I have the feeling that you will do great things with this jewel."_

Shintaro's mind returned to the present. He looked at his katana and held the rim of the amber jewel. Then he pulled and the jewel was released from its place on the hilt. The amber color glinting in the morning sun scanned his eyes, and another memory played.

_"Why?" _he remembered his mother sobbing. _"What could he have done wrong?!" _

The only light in the room was filtering through the slightly open window. Five people existed in that dimmed, small room. A twelve year old boy, a fourteen year old girl, and a woman in her forties kneeled facing the front, where a man in his twenties stood before them next to the body of a dead man. Shintaro remembered wearing his black armor, his face stiff from restraining his emotions. His sister was kneeling beside him, wearing her black armor as well. He could not turn to see her face, afraid that any muscle movement may break the mental chains he had placed upon himself.

_"Your husband didn't follow orders as described to him at the beginning of this mission." _ The man replied, his face was stern and, for some reason, Shintaro could not remember the man's face.

_"What do you mean?!"_ His mother wailed. Her grief then began to spread in the room, threatening to set Shintaro's emotions free. _"The woman that the Master wanted killed is dead. The mission's goal is complete and he made it look like an accident as requested. Why did the Master take his life?!"_

The man sighed with frustration. _"I already told you, it was an accident. Your husband denied the Master's orders at the last minute and tried to swerve the car out of the way. But he was too late and ended up killing her anyway."_

_"No…" _his mother mumbled, her voice trembling. _"Impossible…!"_

"_You of all people know the Guardian's Code. If the Master is disobeyed, then the disobedient Guardian is nothing but filth. And you know that there is no use for filth in this world…" _The man's voice now seemed narcissistic. Shintaro's hands now trembled with fury. How dare he treat his mother that way, especially of one of her status compared to his…

"_Well," _the man said, making his way toward the door. _"I will leave you here for time to mourn. In time, you will see reason and understand."_

With unbelievable speed, his mother pulled her katana out of her sheath in anger, the diamond glinting from the hilt. Her body made to strike the man, fury filling her senses.

Then, the sword's path was averted by another. The clash of metal rang within the room. Shintaro was petrified in place due to retraining himself in one position for so long that he could hardly move. After the ringing began to lower in his ears, he turned to see the sword that clashed with his mother. The ruby gleamed in the light, shaking with either struggle or fear. He looked up to see his sister, her face emotionless, eyes holding her mother's. He looked toward his mother and saw tears streaming down her face, her skin looking a lot older than it had been a week ago.

"_Kaa-san,"_ his sister said gently.

The man was already holding the sliding door chuckled softly. _"Despite what he has done, I see that Kanaye trained his children well." _He pulled the door open slowly. _"You should really do something about those emotions, Yuriko. You should know that emotions are dangerous by now." _He then walked out of the room and closed the door silently behind him.

The room was silent except for the girl's breathing. Then, Yuriko suddenly fell to the floor, katana falling from her hand and clattering onto the wooden floor. Her daughter caught her on the way down and cradled her in her arms as she began to cry. Shintaro then looked toward the dead man as a tear went down his cheek.

More images flew past his eyes, reminiscing. The many candles and incense sticks at his father's funeral, the beer bottle on the kitchen table; his mom's best friend when she thought her children weren't around, his sister training more vehemently than ever before.

Finally, the last scene took place in the dimmed small room again. This time, only four people existed in that room. There was Shintaro, now fourteen, his sister, now sixteen, the man still in his twenties, and Shintaro's mother, who lay cold in the casket at the front of the room._  
"I suppose you already know cause of death, Kohana." _the man said calmly.

_"Yes," _his sister replied back in an equal tone. _"And I accept this, as it was destined to happen sooner or later."_

_"I will then leave you guys to mourn. As soon as you are finished, Kohana, both you and your brother are summoned by the Master." _The man then walked out of the door silently once more.

_"Onee-san," _Shintaro said to his sister. _"What happened to Kaa-san?"_

His sister didn't even turn to face him. _"She died by seppuku. That is why her sword is being buried with her."_

Shintaro's mixed emotions then seemed to cancel out. A numb feeling went over his body until it seemed like there was no time or space. The floor seemed to fly from under his feet and his mind instantly became a clean slate.

He remembered going to the graves weeks later, one hand bleeding and the other holding a small pocketknife. The rain was pouring and thunder roared in the skies. He didn't remember the pain, only the sheer determination in brining his parents back. He then gripped his amber stone and was about to write the spell out in his blood.

_"What are you doing??!!" _a cry came from a distance. He turned to see Kohana instantly by her side. _"You know that you can't use this to bring them back! You are breaking one of the codes!!" _She panted as she thought of more words to say. _"Remember, they said not to bring them back unless it's a live or die situation. You can only bring them back once and for a good purpose. Do you want to break that promise that you made? Huh?!"_ She took hold of his shoulders and shook him a little. _"Koichi, you know that, if you break that promise, they won't even be human at all!" _

His mind againreturned to the present. He was close to home and gripped the jewel even tighter in his hand, knowing that, if he lost it, he would be of no worth and nothing but filth.


	8. Chapter 8: Turning Point

Hi! Hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season (I sure did!). I have seen other authors use borders, but, for some reason, I can't put borders (no matter what I do). So, I apologize if any of the last chapters seemed confusing, since I thought that the borders worked. So, from now on, I will just use these symbols for borders. I've been getting messages asking me about Tohru. Patience, little lambs!

Anyway, enjoy!!!!

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Fruits Basket or Hello Kitty.

**Chapter 8: Turning Point**

Tohru then gave herself up to the fatigue inside her and was enveloped in darkness. Her body was numb except for the sense of drifting; gravity had no hold on her whatsoever.

"What should I do, Mom?"

_"Just be yourself."_

"But…"

_"Everybody has to fall at least once to learn."_

Then, Tohru thought she heard voices and the screeching of tires. Exclamations of a chaotic sort disturbed her sense of gravity as well as inertia pushing her from side to side. Suddenly, she heard a revving of an engine and a crash. After hearing more voices, she felt her body being lifted and something warm and fuzzy by her cheek. She then opened her eyes to see Hatori holding the stretcher handles by her head and talking about something to do with the Sohma treasury.

"Hatori…san?" Tohru said gently.

Hatori looked away from what he was looking at and to his patient as he walked backwards slowly into Shigure's house. "Oh, you're awake. Don't worry, you'll be just fine."

"Honda-san, how do you feel?" A little rat appeared on her right, expression full of worry.

"What happened to…Shintaro?" Tohru asked, looking from left to right.

"Who are you talking about?" the rat asked. "You were alone at Kyoko-san's grave when we found you."

"Is that the person who did this to you?" a serious voice questioned at Tohru's feet. Tohru looked to find Kyo holding on to the stretcher poles, walking slowly forward as they continued to go up the stairs.

"What..?"

"Who is Shintaro? What did he do to you? Did he hurt you at all?" Kyo continued to ask Tohru. Face downcast so that she couldn't see his face, but it was obvious that he was angry.

"Kyo," Hatori interrupted, "it's not the time to ask those questions. Right now, Tohru should be getting rest. We will have time to investigate later."

The four of them then arrived at Tohru's room and were able to place her in her bed.

"Now," Hatori said abruptly. "I need you two to leave the room now." He said, looking at Kyo and Yuki.

"But why just us?" Kyo asked.

"Just do it, baka neko." Yuki said harshly and scurried toward the door. He stopped at the door frame. "Honda-san, please get well soon." He said softly, then continued to scurry to his room.

"Kyo began walking out slowly as well. Before leaving the room, he looked at Tohru and gripped the door frame. _Who could have done this?!_ He thought. _And…why didn't I go with her…_

"Tohru," Hatori began as soon as Kyo closed the door behind him, "I will begin common medical procedures." He then pulled out two boxes, a blue box that Tohru had seen before and a white box that was foreign to her.

As Hatori began preparing the thermometer and cold and sinus medications out of the blue box, Tohru asked "What's in the white box, Hatori-san. I've never seen it before."

"I'm sorry, Tohru-san," Hatori said apologetically while placing the thermometer in her mouth, "but, it is necessary and must be done immediately."

Kyo stood outside of the door impatiently for Hatori's diagnosis. All of a sudden, a finger jabbed at his forehead and pushed him into the wall.

"OW!!! $&!" Kyo said in irritated pain. He turned to see Yuki in his human form looking at him with an aggravated expression. "What was that for?!"

"Quiet!" Yuki said harshly. "How many times do I have to say that to everybody in this house? Anyway, you need to calm down."

"What do you mean 'calm down'?!"

"Practically everybody can hear you breathing downstairs! Also, have you been

"So, what of it?"

"You can change clothes. It's going to take some time for Hatori to make his diagnosis."

Kyo then looked at his haggard appearance in a mirror in the hallway. His orange hair was in disarray and his eyes had shadows under them. "What do you mean?"

"About what?"

"About Hatori taking some time; he just needs to make sure she doesn't have the flu or if she has a cold or something, right?"

Yuki looked at Kyo with analytical eyes. Kyo's face was serious with a touch of forced innocence of what Yuki had said. _He really is naïve,_ Yuki thought, _or he just doesn't want to acknowledge the truth._

"Kyo, Hatori will have to see if Honda-san was…abused in any way."

Kyo then turned away and slammed his fist into the wall. "Don't say that!!!" Hostility filled his voice, telling Yuki that Kyo was suppressing rage.

"Kyo, you know how many creeps there are out there. Anyway, Honda-san has to give her consent first before Hatori can carry the procedure."

"$#!" Kyo cursed. "Don't say anymore…" The Cat's fist now was trembling against the wood of the wall and was slowly sliding down. Silence filled every void of the house, making it obvious that everyone in the house heard what was happening in the hallway on the second floor.

As Kyo began walking slowly to his room to change, Yuki said "Kyo, it's not your fault, okay?"

But Kyo didn't acknowledge Yuki's sentence of attempted reassurance. Not like the Cat could accept something like that from the Rat, afterall.

Shintaro approached a typical house and smelled ramen in the air. _Great, ramen again for breakfast? _He thought. _It's so sad that Nee-san isn't good at cooking…_

With no hesitation, Shintaro jumped on a window sill and entered his room. He cautiously stepped through the window, trying not to get anything wet due to his soaked clothes. He tiptoed past a poster of the band "Uverworld" on his wall toward his closet to change clothes. Unknowingly, he stepped on a pencil and slipped; thus causing achain reaction of chaotic noise.

"Oww…" Shintaro whispered.

"AHA!! I knew you were home!" A female voice came from downstairs.

"Well, then how, Nee-san?" Shintaro yelled back, picking up the pencil and cleaning up the mess he made.

"You always come home through the window when you don't want anybody to find out you're home. And you always go to change your clothes to try to lie about how long you have been out." The voice replied. "You can't fool me! I'm your older sister, after all!!"

"Whatever…" Shintaro said, still wincing due to the impact of his fall.

"Hurry up! I'll give you your breakfast and I have to go to work! Also, there's a package here for you. Actually, three of them!"

Shintaro then rushed into a change of clothes. He remembered what Akito had said, _"There is something there you should look into immediately when you arrive"_. Suddenly, Shintaro slipped again. This time, he slipped on a puddle of water that had gathered on the wooden floor by his new pile of clothes.

"Now don't tell me you are not going to take a shower! Take a shower now or there goes your ipod!!" The voice yelled yet again.

Shintaro sighed with frustration. The beginning of yet another day…

The breakfast table was set with steaming ramen by the time Shintaro trudged down the stairs. He pulled a chair for himself, gave thanks for the food, and allowed his head to dropon the table, missing the bowl of ramen.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?!" a cheery voice asked. "Let me guess, you didn't bring the hood I gave you and now you have a cold. Now, which drink do you want?"

Shintaro looked up to find his sister, Kohana, holding a glass of orange juice in one hand and one of hot chocolate in the other. She was dressed in a pair of black slacks and a black blazer covered the blue front-ruffled top within, which was covered with an apron with an image of Hello Kitty in the middle. Obviously she was ready to go to work as a clothes designer for the company "Sheer Magic", with her hair tide back with a ponytail except for side bangs. Yes, the company's name was simple, but the profits made were lucrative and their designs, mostly by Kohana, were acclaimed worldwide and shown on global runways almost everyday.

"Ugh… orange juice, please…" Shintaro moaned, allowing himself to return back to his misery. His sinuses were full and now he regretted ignoring his sister's advice.

"You crazy? The orange juice is mine! To keep me awake, you know." Kohana said, handing him the cup of hot chocolate and instantly drinking out of the cup of orange juice; thus staking her claim to the beverage.

"Then why did you ask?" her brother said angrily. "Also, why don't you drink coffee? That works better than orange juice."

"'Cuz slurp coffee slurp is slurp nasty! slurp" Kohana said defiantly while slurping in her ramen. "Anyway, too much caffeine is bad! sluuuuurp"

"Fine…anyway, where are those packages?"

"In the office. slurp I'm assuming their from Akito for the next Phase of your Mission? slurp"

"Yeah, I guess. He said to look into them as soon as I get home." Shintaro took in a little more ramen and stood up to walk to the home office. But then, a hand viciously clamped on his right arm. He looked back to see his sister holding him with her right hand.

"Now, don't you dare!" she said cynically. "Finish that ramen first, or you're gonna throw it away because you're gonna say that it's too cold. Anyway, who said you were excused from the table?"

Shintaro sighed again and picked up his chopsticks. Kohana resumed slurping until she heard a clank from her brother.

"Aaaaaaah!" he said, refreshed. "Finished, Nee-san!"

She looked at the bowl and saw that, within a few seconds, he had practically chugged the entire thing. _And I thought I was the hog…_ she thought.

"Fine, go ahead and open up the packages. That is, after you put those dishes in the sink."

Saki Hanajima looked out of the window of the classroom into the cloudy sky. Even though the sunrise was full of color, the clouds had covered the sun and its glory. But, of all things, she wasn't concerned about the weather. Dark shadows lingered under her eyes due to a restless sleep. She had heard various voices since the last night, and they only ceased this morning. But, there were four distinguishable voices in her head. The waves she sensed made them scream, all three of them, and a few additional others. They were at such a high intensity that she was disturbed all night.

"Hanajima-san, please read the second paragraph." Mayu requested. But, there was only silence. "Ahem, Hanajima-san…"

A ball of paper hit the side of Hanajima's head, which brought her back from her world of ponderings. She looked away from the window to see the whole classroom staring at her, then at the window, and back again at her.

"Oh…" Hanajima said wistfully, "I'm sorry, what should I do again, Mayu-sensei?"

"Read the second paragraph, Hanajima-san."

"Alright, 'The program did not help. The country's deficit-'"

Another wad of paper hit the side of her head. This time, she picked it up and opened the wad to find a note:

Next page!

-Uo

Saki turned her head to the right to find Arisa Uotani glaring at her with some embarrassment. She also noticed that the aura around Uo's head began spreading to her other classmates, like a new form of a cold.

"Oh, my apologies," Saki said with a smile as she turned the page.

As Saki continued reading the correct passage, she could feel the waves of her classmates change.

_Of course, she has no regrets…_her classmates thought as they read along.

The school bell tolled for lunchtime. Uotani and Hanajima searched for a place to eat when Uotani brought up the topic that they were both eager to bring up.

"Tohru isn't here. Neither is the Prince or Kyon. Or that white-haired kid and that blonde-haired kid."

Hanajima only nodded. They were both obviously analyzing an explanation and wondering if they needed to make a plan.

"That's it!" Arisa said with a fist. "We will visit the Sohma's place after school and see what's up!"

Hanajima casually picked up a pebble and tossed it back and forth between her hands. "Oh…I was thinking about that too…but, I don't think so…" she then threw the rock behind her back at a bush without turning.

Suddenly, a yelp came from the bush and three Yuki Fan Girls appeared, one of who was Kinoshita, rubbing her head.

"You…WITCH!!!" Kinoshita cried.

"Well, what did you say?" Arisa asked with an iron pipe in hand. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"Umm…" the three girls said in unison. "Nothing…" then they ran away at full speed, leaving billows of dust in there wake and wondering where the iron pipe had come from.

"Well then, it is decided, to the Sohma's." Hanajima said.

They were about to learn that, because of this point of time, the course of their futures will take a different turn.


	9. Chapter 9: Changes

I'm sorry, everybody

I'm sorry, everybody!! Looks like the symbols I placed in the last chapter didn't work! (sniffle). So, it looks like, until I figure this out, there will be no borders (teardrop). Anyway, I just want to warn my readers about the Shintaro/Koichi identity. Hopefully you have got it by now, but please let me know if you ever get confused.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket.

**Chapter 9: Changes**

Kohana jumped with surprise as a huge bang came from the home office. First Koichi had calmly entered the home office to open the package. Next thing she knew, there was some racket in the room and then a box flew right through the paper door. She stood up from the table and sighed, looks like she's going to have to give him a day off. When she picked up the box, she noticed it was one of the boxes Akito had sent and looked inside the room through the hole in the door.

"Now we know who is going to fix this, right Mr. Accident?"

Koichi was looking at his hands and looked up to see the destruction he had caused. There was tissue paper everywhere and pieces of cardboard, and it was only now he realized that there was a hole in the door. "Umm…sorry?" he apologized with a small smile.

"Yeah, hehehe, very funny." His sister replied sarcastically. "I can't stay here with you because I have a huge meeting today. Also, if I don't leave now, I'm going to be late." She sighed again as she looked at her wristwatch. "Did Akito say you have the day off?"

Koichi looked down on the desk to find the letter Akito had sent and read it for the second time. "Yes, onee-chan."

"Good. I'll let you off the hook for now," she called while struggling to put on her high-heeled shoes. "But, you are going to have to fix the office by the time I get back. Also, you'll have to explain yourself."

"Yes, onee-chan." Koichi now moaned in reply. Great, so much for a day of rest.

"Goodbye, now don't cause any trouble." Kohana said has she left the house.

Koichi waited until he can no longer hear his sister's car engine to relax. He had lost his temper again. But, this time, he really couldn't hold it in. Koichi stepped out of the office, deciding to fix it later, and went up to his room. Slamming the door, he made for his bed and turned on his iHome, which played the song "Namikaze Satellite" by Snorkel.

_How dare you, Akito! _ Koichi thought. _How could you?! Do you expect me to be your toy?! Your tool?! To be under your control, like the Zodiac?! How dare—OW!_

Koichi gripped his left shoulder, pain searing and burning through his head. He coiled in pain, trying to ease the sensation. He closed his eyes as an automatic reaction, and then he couldn't open them. Next thing he knew, Akito was there. He was smiling. The smile menacing, nor was it full of kindness. But it was a blank smile, like a plastic mask.

_"Remember, Koichi…where you belong… remember…you are a Guardian…now…what is your job? Do you want to disgrace the Murakami family…your family…? I feel sad for poor Kanaye…to have such a disobedient and disgraceful son…"_

After much struggle, Koichi was able to open his eyes. Sweat went down his cheek and his hands were gripped in tight fists. He looked at his left arm and pulled up his sleeve and looked at his shoulder. There was a tattoo-like mark there, two circles intertwined and reaching out on opposite sides. It glowed yellow and was now dimming. Koichi rubbed his hand over it, realizing that, as a Guardian, he has no choice but to obey the head of the Sohma family.

_Even if you have this ability, _Koichi thought as he got out of bed, _I will never bow down to you, Akito._

Shigure looked up from the book he was reading when a doorbell rang. "Hmm…wonder who that could be?"

"Could it be one of their classmates?" Hatsuharu suggested. "Or mine?"

"Who would want to see you, Haru?" Rin said.

"A mystery…" Hatsuharu replied with a cynical tone.

"In that case, I will answer the door." Hatori said, putting down his cup of tea.

"No! You shouldn't go through the trouble, Tori-chan!" Ayame said with a cheery face and an ipod in ear and hand. "Rather, here! Listen to this exquisite new song!" Hatori ignored him and continued down the hall, Ayame obviously trying to stop him. "Here! It's called 'I Ran Over the Taco Bell Dog!'"

"Why would I listen to something like that?"

"But, you don't know who could be out there! It might be some yakuza kid or some evil witch or something!"

"Yeah, right," Hatori said sarcastically and opened the door.

A cold breeze stormed through the open space and snow flurries flew past Hatori and Ayame. They both looked up in fear to find two girls, one in a gothic dress and another in a suicide squad uniform with a butterfly on the back.

"Where is Tohru?" Arisa asked, bringing up an iron pipe from behind her.

"_Yes, there are so many things I would like to do to those who hurt her…_" Saki said simply, yet with one sentence held many connotations.

Ayame, who had gripped on to Hatori's arm to stop him immediately let go with a yelp and ran like the wind back into the kitchen with a crash. Shigure, seeing Ayame collide into the fridge with great impact, knew his suspicions were confirmed.

"Boy were you wrong, Hatori." He said with indifference and got up to make more tea.

"Sorry about that" Uotani apologized to the Ayame and Hatori, who sat across from her and Saki.

"Yes, sorry." Hanajima added. "We had thought that Shigure-san would answer the door. And we had given him our full trust in taking care of Tohru. So, if anything were to happen to her…we would know who is responsible." She gave a look at Shigure which sent chills down his spine.

"Not to worry," Hatori said politely, "it is understandable. I certainly know what you mean." He also gave Shigure a look, which made Shigure gulp.

"You are Tohru's friends?" Rin asked.

"Yes." Hanajima replied. She looked at Rin and gave her one of her rare smiles. "I assume that you are a friend of hers as well."

"Yes…" Rin said nervously. "My name is Isuzu Sohma. Since you are obviously Tohru's friends, you can call me Rin."

"My name is Arisa Uotani, and this is Saki Hanajima." Arisa said with a smile. "We have been friends with Tohru since Middle School." She looked at the clothes Rin was wearing. "Um…your clothes are pretty cool…where did you buy them?"

"Oh," Rin blushed, "these were from—"

"I made them." Haru interrupted.

"Oh…I like them." Hanajima said admiringly and was at Rin's side in less than a second, surprising Rin.

"Thank you." Haru replied.

"Oh glorious day!" Ayame suddenly said with tears coming from his eyes. Spotlights suddenly appeared on either side of Yuki's brother and rose petals began to dance around him. "Our punk-rock Hatsuharu has had an artist's revelation!!"

"Um…I've had it for a long time." Haru interrupted again, causing the rose petals to fall pitifully.

"Whatever!" Ayame scoffed.

"Um, Aya, please get out of my house before beginning a Kodak moment." Shigure sighed while reeling away the spotlights. "My house is a house. Not a theater or a special site for extreme stunts."

"So that explains the mess at the entrance." Arisa said with a finger on her chin.

"Yes, we were wondering what happened to the gate." Saki said nonchalantly while toying with a necklace at Rin's neck.

"Well, Shigure," Ayame continued while striking a pose, "it seems that your home does not have the ability to house my profound greatness. Ha! Did you see how I used that pun!" Suddenly, a broom flew across the room.

"Well, 'Your Greatness'," Shigure said in a mock angry voice. "You have no maid to serve you in this house! How dare you—!!"

While a great battle began Hatori and Hatsuharu took the opportunity to take a couple spare brooms out and begin to clean the mess.

"Is it really this chaotic in this house everyday?" Arisa asked Rin.

"Well, this level of chaos usually occurs when Ayame is around." Haru began explaining. "But, on a daily basis, the level is lower."

"Does that mean that there is still…chaos?" The three girls asked in unison.

"Well…yes." Haru said thoughtfully.

"And he says that with a straight face." Arisa said.

"Now, let's get back on topic." Hatori said calmly after punishing the two warriors Shigure and Ayame, claiming that the noise is bad for his patients upstairs. The verdict he gave them was to clean up the remaining rose petals and the damage caused by their outrageous battle.

"We want to see Tohru." Arisa said. "We also noticed that the Prince and Orange top weren't at school today either. The Prince Yuki fan club girls were spying on us all day."

"Yes, and we are prepared to take them on when Tohru returns to school. They will obviously assault Tohru with suspicions and questions tomorrow." Saki added.

"As of right now all three of them are resting." Hatori said, giving his diagnosis. "It is best not to disturb them."

"Why? What happened to them?" Arisa questioned.

Hatori looked at Shigure and Ayame, giving them a look asking them what to say. The other two members of the Mabudachi Trio had no idea what to do. They responded with a look showing that they were in a tight fix. Should they tell these high school girls what had happened overnight to their friend?

"All three of them have a terrible flu." Haru said indifferently. All the other Sohmas looked at him with somewhat surprised looks. _Of course Haru is able to lie without gritting his teeth and with a straight face_, they thought. _Even if it is to a Yankee and a psychic…_

"How horrible," Hanajima sighed. "In that case, we must take our leave."

"What--?" Uotani looked at her friend.

"We must not overstay and abuse their hospitality." Saki replied. "Anyway, we still have homework and we don't want our families to worry." She gave Arisa a smile that signaled that later she was to give her friend an explanation if things went as she wanted.

Later after the two left Shigure's house and were walking home, Arisa finally took up the question.

"Why did you suggest we leave so suddenly?"

"Well, according to the waves I felt around that house, tensions were high. And they are obviously hiding something."

"So? The more the reason to continue questioning them."

"I felt waves from upstairs," Saki stopped and looked at Arisa with a serious face. "All three wavelengths were incredibly tight, especially Tohru's. I think it is best to leave all three of them alone and ask the Prince and Orange head directly when the time is right. Right now they shouldn't be questioned. They need to settle down."

"So something huge happened."

"Yeah."

The two friends looked at the full moon above them.

"Hana?" Arisa asked.

"Yes?"

"What do you think Kyoko would do?"

"She would wait, too."

"Well, I hope so. I don't want to be that kind of friend again…"


	10. Chapter 10: A New Addition

Hi everybody! After a long time, I am finally able to get my thoughts back together again. As an author, I feel guilty about neglecting these fanfics for so long (especially my Tsu-Yasha). But, I want to finish Reasons first. Anyway, on to the story (which I should start moving…).

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket and own none of the lyrics that have been used in this fanfic.

**Chapter 10: A New Addition**

Black. That's all that Tohru could see. No matter where she reached or how far she strained her eyes to open, fatigue won every battle.

"Mom…"

"_Just be yourself…_"

"But, I don't understand…doesn't everything happen for a reason…?"

"_We fall…that is how we learn…_"

Tohru continued to float in an isolated stream. The stream wandered endlessly, first over a black abyss, then an endless ocean. When Tohru had the strength to open her eyes, she found herself lying in the middle of a pasture. She got up and looked around her. The night sky laden with stars filled the space above her.

_This feels…and looks…familiar…_ she thought.

"Oi, why the lost face?" a voice said from behind her.

"Eep!" she squealed, surprised by the unexpected voice. She turned immediately and found a young boy about seven years old. He was wearing an elementary school uniform and a look of concern on his face. His black hair was a bit unruly as it looks like it had been neatly fixed earlier. He carried a small lunchbox with the Mogeta logo and the moonlight reflected on his light skin.

"W-where did you come from?" Tohru asked while slowly recovering from her small shock.

"Why, I just came to check on you." the little boy replied.

"To check on me…?"

"Yeah, they teased you again."

Tohru turned around and suddenly found a small playground with children sitting in a circle in the afternoon sun. Bushes were suddenly around her and a tree protected her from the sun by providing shade. She looked to the right and found a school building with little rooms and chalk boards.

_This is…my school…_

"So," the little boy continued and sat beside her, "did they tease you again?"

"About what?" Tohru says innocently without thinking.

"They called you an onigiri again, huh?"

She looked at the little boy curiously, he opened up his lunchbox to find an arrangement of sushi wrapped neatly.

"Wow, so much sushi!" Tohru exclaims.

_Wait, I didn't want to say that, this conversation is taking a turn on its own._

"Yeah, you know how my mom is." The boy replies. "She is so neat and clean, but she packs so much!" He takes a roll and hands it to her. "Here, take it."

"What?! I can't possibly take one, it's your lunch! Your mother packed it for you…"

"Hey," he gives her a stern face. "You didn't eat much, I saw you."

"Eh?! You were watching me?"

_Oh, this is a dream, a memory. This happened so long ago…_

"Well, somebody has to take care of you. Anyway, take it or I'll feel insulted. You wouldn't want to do that, would you?" The boy's face becomes downcast as a hint of sadness crawls across his eyes.

"No! I'll take it! I wouldn't want to do that!" Tohru's hands fly eagerly to the offered sushi roll and she takes a bit out of it. As the boy looks up, a playfully wicked smile spread across his face.

_What was his name…?_

"Arigatou…um…"

"My name is " the boy says, but his name came out only as a humming noise.

_I can't remember…_

The dream vanishes before her as Tohru's eyes open slowly as sunlight filters through the blinds on her window. She turns to look at her clock to find that it is six in the morning. She gets up silently and changes into her uniform. While she slips her arms through the sleeves of the uniform coat, she looks on her left hand to find it wrapped. She unwrapped bandage to find a scar resting where a katana had cut her two days before.

Suddenly the events come back to her like a storm: the running, the threat, the amber jewel that shown its brilliance and magic that night, the mysterious young man named Shintaro.

"Hmph." She said to herself and completed putting on her uniform. She slipped out of her room silently and found that Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo were still asleep. Walking into the kitchen, she ate breakfast and left three servings and a note on the table to be found later. With as much stealth as she could muster, she put on her shoes and walked out the door with determination to get through the school day.

The school bells chimed at eight o'clock and woke Tohru up with a start. She looks around to find the classroom full of the usual morning mayhem. Girls chattering about what happened on the newest episode of Last Friends, guys badgering another about what happened on his first date last night, all of this happening before Mayu-sensei arrived in the classroom. Suddenly the classroom door slid open with a bang, thus revealing Uotani with her hair tied up in a bun standing with authority. Hanajima and a few other peers were standing with her as well.

"ANNOUNCEMENT, ANNOUNCEMENT!!" Arisa declared to the class while raising her hand. "We have a new classmate!"

Cheers filled the room. Suspicions about their new peer circulated among the class.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" one of the excited students asked.

"It is...a boy." Saki replied calmly. Several girls squealed at this.

"Why would someone transfer now? Graduation isn't far off." One of the boys brought up the question. Silence gripped the class.

"Maybe...he did something awful...maybe he's a JD!" Another boy said with tension in his voice.

"That means...it is up to us to defend the girls in this classroom!" a third boy said in a heroic tone. The boys cheered at this and raised their fists in determination.

"Hey..." Uotani said seriously, Saki lurked behind her friend. "Who says we all need protecting?"

Then the entire class laughed and started their usual antics. The door then opened to reveal Yuki and Kyo staggering into the room a moment before the bell rang.

"Hey, Sohma," one of the boys called.

"Yeah?" the two cousins replied. Both of them then looked at each other with aggravated looks.

"You know, I've had enough of you this morning..." Kyo said angrily.

"Hey, I wasn't the one who didn't set their alarm clock." Yuki quipped.

"Well, at least I woke up when there was an alarm, unlike someone here who could have been thrown out of a window and still won't wake up!" Kyo remarked.

"Hey, I can't help it that someone didn't get up to heat up the food before Shigure went to the kitchen to burn it!" Yuki said. Tohru then put her face downward hoping not to be seen by either of the two.

"Oh boy, all I was going to ask was why you guys came later than usual." sighed the classmate.

"IT WAS HIS FAULT!" the Sohmas said accusingly while pointing at the other.

Before the two realized it, a shock was sent through them as cold water was thrown on them. Both of them froze to find their teacher, Mayu, standing there with a frustrated face.

"Isn't it a rule that when the bell rings, all students must be seated?" Mayu asked, shouldering the bucket that held the cold water. "Kyo, I know you are a repeat offender and used to this process. But Yuki, why not cool down a bit, huh?" She turned with an exasperated sigh. "Do I always have to carry around a bucket for the Sohmas?"

_That sounded like it could stand for more than one thing...I wonder..._ thought the class in union.

As the students took their seats, Yuki passed by Tohru's desk.

"Hey, you okay? You woke up earlier than usual and everyone was surprised that you went ahead without us."

Tohru kept her head down. "I had something to do." she replied tersely. Yuki looked at her with concern.

"Why do you keep your head down?"

"Please, Sohma-kun, sit down before you get in trouble."

Yuki, surprised at the brush-off, ran his hand through his wet hair. "Well, anyway, thank you for the breakfast." he walked to his desk which was farther back in the room and Tohru waited until he was seated before she raised her head. Little did she know that Kyo was observing the short conversation from the other side of the classroom.

"Well, today we have a new student joining our class." Mayu said now that the class had calmed down. "Be nice to him now! Graduation is at hand and I don't want anything to happen before then, would you?" she eyed the class.

"Yes, Mayu-sensei." the class replied together.

"Now, you may come in!" the teacher called to the door. "I made them pledge that they won't bite!"

The door slid open to reveal a young man with black hair, slightly tanned skin, and a medium build. An amber stone hung as a pendant of his necklace and reflected in the sun.

"Wow, Mayu-sensei, you are amusing." the new student said with a smile.

"Why thank you," Mayu said calmly. "Will you please write your name on the board and introduce yourself to your classmates?"

The boy turned to the board and started writing his name in furigana and a buzz went around the room. The girls in one corner began whispering vehemently as the boys began observing their new peer with low voices.

"Hey, he doesn't look as bad as a JD." Arisa said jokingly to Tohru and Saki.

"Yes...but I don't think we should let our guard down yet." Saki said with a calculating voice.

"Oh, what is wrong? Looks like an athletic, smart guy; and a charmer by the looks of it." Arisa remarked as she subtly pointed out the other girls who look like they are about to explode if they didn't squeal soon.

"His waves...are different." Hanajima replied.

"You mean like the Prince's and Orange top's" Arisa asked.

"Well...similar but different..."

"Oh, that is confusing!" Uotani said. "What do you think, Tohru?"

As the two friends turned to Tohru, they found her eyes dilated and her hands shaking. Tohru looked at the boy with a calculative intensity, finding all of the features she knew. She checked each of them off like they were on a mental checklist.

_Brown eyes, strong hands, jet black hair, medium build, and that amber..._ she went over her list again and again. _Shintaro-san._ she thought finally. But, when he put down the chalk stick, she stared at the name and could not believe what she was seeing.

When the boy was done, the class quieted down again and waited for him to speak.

"Helllo everybody. My name is Koichi Asakawa." he began smiling. As he continued talking about where he formerly attended school and his favorite hobbies Tohru continued to stare at the board reading the characters over and over again.

"Well, it's not like I'm new to everyone here." Koichi's voice broke through her thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Mayu asked.

"Well, I'm familiar with three of my peers already." he continued with a smile. he motioned to the back of the room. "Yuki! How have you been?"

Tohru was startled at this and turned her head to the back of the classroom with the rest of the class to see the Prince's reaction. Yuki was startled as well but gave his famous smile to Koichi.

"Why, I have been doing well." He replied. "It looks like you have finally surprised me since you didn't tell me that you were coming here to Kaibara High."

"Well, it was a bit...sudden." Koichi chuckled. He then turned to the side of the room. "And you, Kyo? I hope we can have a bout soon. I haven't seen you in ages, so I want to see how much stronger you are."

The class then turned to Kyo who turned his attention away from the window.

"Well, then I accept your challenge. How about after school today? The dojo is open."

"Oh, sorry, I brought up the challenge but maybe tomorrow? After all," Koichi grinned as he turned to the other side of the room, "I have a date with Tohru Honda-san today."

Everyone shifted their position to face Tohru who began to blush immediately. The classroom then had an uproar as questions like "Really?!" and "Since when?!" flew around the room and targeted Tohru. Mayu, seeing that she no longer had any control, opened up a drawer at her desk, grabbed a whistle, and blew as hard as she could. The class, shocked and mortified, froze in place and suffered their teacher's coldest glare.

"Asakawa-kun, thank you for your introduction. There is an empty desk in the back of the room. You may sit there. Now, let's start class. Open to page one hundred thirty-two in your English books."

The class moaned as they started their school day and Asakawa walked to his desk. He walked past Tohru and left a note on her desk. She silently opened the folded slip of paper and read: "meet me at the shoe closet at lunch today :)"

She folded it up and slipped the note in her bag.

"Hey, Tohru," Arisa whispered. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Well...it was...sudden..."

"Hmmm," Hanajima joined in, "that's what he said..."

As class went on, Kyo and Yuki looked at Tohru during the class from time to time.

_Is this...true?_ the thought reverberated through their heads as the second hand of the clock crawled its way through the seconds and slowly to lunch hour.


	11. Ch 11: Shoe Closets and a New Mission

Hello everybody!! I got tons of messages to continue updating (I guess that's really my fault, huh?). So, I'm getting started on it right away!!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket or any form of media or popular brand used in this fanfic.

**Chapter 11: Shoe Closets and a New Mission**

As the bell chimed the lunch hour, Tohru gathered her books and headed toward the door of the classroom when she was stopped by a pat on the shoulder. She turned around to see Hanajima, head tilted with her usual serene expression.

"Are we eating lunch on the roof today?" Saki asked with a smile.

"Oh, sorry Hana-chan." Tohru apologized. "But, I'm eating with Asakawa-kun today."

"Do you mean 'Koichi-kun'?" Saki asked, the smile fading from her face.

"Ah," Tohru said, realizing her error. "Yes, K-Koichi-kun…"

"Yes, see you later."

At that, Tohru turned and half ran, half speed-walked out of the classroom and toward the shoe closet.

He was already there waiting for her, shoes changed for outdoor use and a bunch of classmates around asking and trying to get to know him; the usual Kaibara High welcome. As Tohru approached the group and heard them asking him to eat with them for lunch, some of the girls turned, spotted her, and began to quiet down.

"Ah, here she is, my princess." Koichi said with a smile that could have charmed stars.

Tohru, in turn, smiled with the strength she could muster. "And my prince in shining armor…" she said cheerfully. She was mentally surprised to see through her peripheral vision that her own charms worked on the boys nearby.

"Well then, shall we be off? My noble steed is ready to go." He said, offering his hand. Tohru looked at the hand with a little hesitation. Then, pushing all reluctance away in her mind, took it with her own in grace.

As the two of them elegantly left the building and gave their curtly goodbyes, their group of peers were left stunned along with some unexpected spectators just happening to walk by.

_The perfect couple…_they thought whistfully. At that, the image of the picture-perfect couple blazed through the school like wildfire.

Uotani, Hanajima, and four Sohmas were eating their lunch in silence; tension hanging on the air like laundry on a line right through the little gathering. Momiji looked to Hatsuharu with a confused look on his face, obviously asking for an explanation for the social atmosphere and the absence of Tohru Honda. But Hatsuharu looked indifferently, promising his cousin the Rabbit to explain later. Still, the air was suffocating the little Rabbit.

"Hey, hey, hey!" he said out of desperation. "Anybody want a lollipop?!" Despite the sudden outburst, the group did not stir. Haru could even swear that he could hear Yuki's second hand on his watch ticking. Hatsuharu cleared his throat.

"So, Tohru is busy?" he asked out of the blue.

"Yeah," Arisa replied. "She's eating with someone else."

"You mean the new guy, Asakawa, right?" Momiji crossed the bridge the other Sohmas avoided.

"So, you know him too then?" the former Yankii turned to face him as Hanajima opened up a bag of chips.

Haru nodded in recognition. "He learned martial arts with Yuki, Kyo, and I until he pulled out around the middle of his first year in Middle School."

"What a small world this is…" Hanajima said calmly and bit down on a chip loudly.

"When we were kids, he was a calm and disciplined guy." Yuki said after supposing to give a synopsis of Koichi Asakawa before Tohru's friends could think of doing any harm. "His entire family is skilled in swordsmanship. But his immediate family is also talented in hand-to-hand combat."

A _crunch _came from Hanajima.

"Now that I think about it," Momiji butted in, "isn't he the only person who has ever beat Yuki other than Shihan?"

_crunch_

"Yeah, I remember that match. It was amazing…" Haru reminisced.

_crunch_

"Really, sounds like the Prince is amazingly good." Uotani inferred.

_crunch_

"No, not really…" Yuki said modestly.

"Again, he doesn't get it." Arisa and Haru said in unison.

_crunch_

"How about Orange-top?" Arisa asked. Hearing a reference to him, Kyo twitched a little and continued to look upon the school grounds.

_crunch_

"Well…" the other three Sohmas trailed off.

"To put it bluntly," Haru continued, "not even close."

A resounding clang rang through the metal fence around the roof of the school building. Everyone turned to find that the source was Kyo's fist hitting one of the bars.

"Hey! My record against him is none of your business!" Kyo said angrily while pointing a finger at Yuki. This was returned by an "aren't-you-awfully-hot-tempered" look by everyone, including Momiji and Hanajima.

"Well, can you at least put down the volume on those chips?" Kyo asked with an irritated tone to Saki. "It's annoying." He turned around to look at the school grounds, then jumped with a shock three feet into the air.

"Did you see that?!" Momiji exclaimed, seeing that the tension slowly ebbing away. "That was what I would call 'divine punishment'!"

"Hey, guys, you might want to look at this." Kyo said with no joke in his voice. The group got up lazily and went to join him.

"Hey, if it's not worth it, I'll dish out 'divine revenge'." Arisa threatened.

The others, excluding Hanajima and Hatsuharu, received the same shock Kyo had just a few moments before. Below them their new classmate was escorting Tohru Honda out to lunch, leaving stunned students in their wake.

"Wow! Tohru is friends with Koichi, too?" Momiji asked in a light tone.

"Huh?" Hanajima turned to the blond-haired boy. "You don't know that they are seeing each other?"

"What?!" Haru and Momiji asked her.

"Well, how did she get to know him?" Haru asked.

"We don't know. We just found out today as well." Uotani explained. Hanajima and Arisa turned to Yuki and Kyo. "So, how long has this been going on…?" Arisa asked the two.

"Yes…and neither of you guys told us?" Hanajima questioned.

"Hey, don't grill us." Kyo replied. "We didn't know a thing." He gripped the metal bar tightly as he watched Asakawa help Tohru into a sleek car that seemed to have been bought the day before, obviously new. "So, are you just going to let them go?"

"Huh?" the group said in unison.

"Well, Yankii and wave girl have always been saying how they would crash Tohru's first date." Kyo backed up his statement.

"Good point." Arisa concluded. "Let's go, Hana." She headed off toward the stairs after throwing out her trash. On her way after Arisa, Saki looked back at the boys who were still watching the scene play out below them.

"Hey," she addressed them, gripping the empty chip bag. "Aren't you coming too?"

"We have no right to interfere in her date." Yuki said looking back slightly, the sunlight catching strands of his hair. "Personally, I would rather not."

Saki waited for any of the others to answer. Haru nodded in agreement and Momiji looked undecided. But Kyo didn't even turn back.

Saki sighed and resigned from her attempt. "Fine then," she breathed, "You're just breaking our promise of protecting her." She then turned slowly, tossed her trash bin without looking, and proceeded slowly down the stairs.

The group of boys remained in silence. Haru started tapping the toe of his shoe against the floor, which fell in rhythm with Yuki's watch; thus emphasizing the silence.

_tap, tick, tap, tock, tap, tick, tap, tock_

"She's right, you know." Momiji pointed out.

_tap, tick_

"And how is that?" Kyo asked.

_tap, tock_

"We can just watch them, but not interrupt." Haru quipped.

_tap, tick_

"That's just rude." Yuki said before Kyo could put in a word. "Anyway, what could we say if we were caught?" the Rat threw the question as Kyo fumed in the background.

_tap, tock_

"We could just say that it was a coincidence." Haru threw his answer back, as the conversation became similar to a battle of words.

"FINE THEN!" Kyo yelled in frustration. "Just stop all those noises!!"

The guys then turned to him as he panted.

"You really are easily annoyed…" Momiji said as if taking a mental note.

"You--!" Kyo retaliated. But they were all walking down the stairs. As they went down the steps, they found two figures waiting for them.

"Heh, knew you would do it anyway." The Yankii gave a grin.

Tohru's friends went around the school building to the school parking lot, avoiding the crowd that Tohru and Koichi were getting. Because of this crowd was questioning Asakawa and Tohru, Uotani, Hanajima, and the Sohmas had some time to run downstairs and get ready for their plan.

"Phew," Uotani panted as Haru was rapidly texting on his cell phone. "That was quite an adventure." After crawling in the grass and using trees and bushes as cover, the group except for Hanajima was quite exhausted.

"So, how are we going to follow them?" Yuki finally put up the question that should have been discussed before beginning their escapade.

"Well," Uotani looked up at him, "Hana and I are riding my motorcycle."

"There's a problem with that," Kyo interrupted her. "You guys might be seen trailing Koichi's Lexus." He pointed out. "Also, how are we going to trail them?"

"That's your problem," Hanajima said calmly.

"WHAT?!" Yuki and Kyo exclaimed.

"After all," Saki continued, "with the influences the Sohma family has, you should be able to come up with something. Look at what Hatsuharu-kun is doing." She pointed out the rapid texting.

"What are you doing?" Momiji asked while enjoying his cherry flavored lollipop. "You have been doing that for a while."

"It will come in ten seconds." Haru said while putting away his cell phone.

"What is coming?" Kyo asked.

"Five seconds now," Haru said calmly. "Four, three, two, one…"

Suddenly, a black Mustang veered round the corner and came to a halt before Uotani's motorcycle. The driver's window slowly rolled down to reveal Isuzu with her hands on the steering wheel.

"Thanks, Rin." Haru smiled. "You're coming with us also, right?"

Rin gave a small frown to Haru. "Yeah, thanks for the very short notice."

"What? I didn't know she was going out with him, much less that he even knows her or that he enrolled in here at all. Anyway, I thought she would have told you."

Rin looked back at the steering wheel. "Honestly, that girl…someone needs looking out for her…"

"Ahem!" coughed Arisa. "Right, because look, they're about to leave!"

At this note everyone crammed into the car and Tohru's best friends took out helmets and hopped on to the motorcycle.

"I'll take the driver's seat," Haru insisted.

"Fine," Rin said, moving to the passenger's side. "Just don't get too reckless."

_Huh, _Yuki and Kyo thought simultaneously in the back seat. _Sounds like he has done this before…_

"Hey," Uotani addressed them through her red helmet, "you guys wanna take the lead so they won't see us that easily?"

"Yeah," Haru replied. "We'll keep two or three cars in between us and the Lexus to avoid any suspicion. You guys might wanna keep distance between us."

"Alright," Arisa saluted. "Meet you there!" Both the Mustang and the motorcycle vroomed to life as the Lexus took its leave from the Kaibara High campus.


	12. Chapter 12: The Four Seasons

Hi everybody

Hi everybody! I feel pretty proud about this chapter. I wrote it in a notebook while on a plane surrounded by crying babies and mischievous children!

**Disclaimer: **I do own Fruits Basket and am not in association with any major label or anything like that (in a nutshell, I am not rich or famous).

**Chapter 12: The Four Seasons**

The Tokyo city setting was blurred in Tohru's vision as she zoomed past the people and shops. She turned and looked at Koichi Asakawa with a sense of curiosity. Was he the mysterious Shintaro who had threatened her and gave her a scar the other night or the charming new classmate and, as of this morning, her boyfriend? Since the beginning of the car ride, not a word had been spoken. American music played through the car speakers and guitar riffs filled the empty spaces of the automobile.

"Um…" Tohru started, clasping her hands together. "What should I call you? It seems now you have two identities, Asakawa-kun." Asakawa momentarily took his eyes off the road and looked at Tohru, a grin hiding on his face.

"Yes, it seems that may confuse you," he replied. "In public, please address me as Koichi Asakawa. Otherwise, call me Shintaro."

"But, why do you have two names?" Tohru asked.

"It's just easier that way; less hassle."

"What do you mean?"

Koichi was taken aback. "Nothing," he replied quickly. "It has nothing to do with you."

Now it was Tohru's turn to be taken off guard. She turned to look out the window to hider her surprise. _But…that's what he would say…what Kyo-kun would say…_

"Anyway," Koichi continued, "I hope you like ramen. It appears that the Sohmas and your friends do."

"What makes you say that?" Tohru questioned bluntly without taking her eyes off the glass.

"Well, Uotani-san has a red motorcycle, Hanajima-san wears her hair in a long braid, and Hatsuharu-kun likes Linkin Park. Look behind us."

Tohru turned around to see Uo's red motorcycle trailing a black car. Despite her disbelief, she had to smile a little when she was band stickers on the car's side mirrors.

"Haru, can you out the volume up any louder?! Kyo yelled above the music of "Faint".

"Well, now that you ask, yes I can." Haru replied nonchalantly while turning the dial.

'Thanks, stupid Cat." Yuki said sarcastically while cupping his ears against the music.

"Hey, you're not doing anything!" Kyo quipped back.

"Guys, please don't slam my band." Haru defended his jam. "Their music is my favorite."

"Then my favorite part of this album is the silence between the tracks." Kyo mumbled.

"Do you want to walk after them?" Haru snapped, the nature of his eyes sharpening into a glare. Kyo sat back in his seat as a reply and decided that he should consider the situation at hand before opening his mouth.

"Ooh! Haru," Momiji piped up, "can you play 'Breaking the Habit'?"

"Sure," Haru turned to Rin slightly. "Rin, please press the button labeled 'Voice'?" Rin sighed and placed a finger on the small button under the stereo, which set off a little chime throughout the car.

"What is your command?" a female voice blared out of the speakers.

"Play artist Linkin Park, song Breaking the Habit." Haru ordered the stereo.

"As you wish," the stereo answered back. Within seconds the song Momiji requested started playing.

"So, what do you guys think?" Haru asked the backseat passengers. He adjusted the rearview mirror and found Yuki and Kyo staring wide-eyed at the car stereo.

"Here is the result of your showing-off again, Haru." Rin scoffed.

"But I just had to," Haru defended himself. "Momiji's reaction before wasn't so shocking. Besides," Haru pet an arm around Isuzu's seat, "you'll always be my number one."

Isuzu slapped Haru's arm away. "What? Do you think I'm jealous?! You're so full of yourself." Rin slouched in her seat.

"Hey, just focus on the road." Yuki pleaded. "We don't need the next surprise to be that you lost Asakawa."

"Oh...well..." Haru said slowly. "Surprise, I just lost them."

"WHAT?!" Yuki and Kyo practically blasted off their seats. Momiji, in the meanwhile, pulled another lollipop from his pocket and continued humming to his requested song.

"You're joking, right?" Yuki asked.

"Hmm...a mystery..." Haru continued to keep his eyes on the road.

"Not really." Isuzu interrupted.

"Yeah!" Momiji exclaimed and, in turn, interrupted Isuzu. "Haru is just drafting with Tohru's friends."

"So, guys," Haru said calmly, "just keep your cool. We won't lose them." he glared at the road before him and prepared for the next draft with Uotani.

"We have arrived." Koichi announced as he parked his car. Tohru looked up from her clasped hands to find a small ramen shop and sushi bar, The Four Seasons. "I'm friends with the guy who runs this place. Koichi explained as he helped Tohru out of the car.

Tohru examined the shop with eager eyes. The light colored banners, crowded parking lot, and cheerful music coming from the restaurant made her question the dark manner of her new classmate even more. On that note, she turned around to look for her friends. But, no matter where she looked, she found nothing but concrete and strangers.

"Tohru-chan," Koichi interrupted her thoughts. "Remember what I told you two nights ago. Please don't make my job any harder..."

Tohru replayed his request in over and over again mentally. Then another voice intruded her thought process, one from more than a year before.

_"At least try to look sharp when you're by yourself. If you space out like that, you'll get yourself kidnapped or something!"_

With a new determination, Honda put her head up and smiled at Koichi. After receiving one back, she followed his directions to walk into the shop before him. Despite how small the shop looked, it was packed to the brim. However, Koichi didn't look worried. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a red card. After the card, Asakawa took off his necklace and lifted both card and amber above his head and the waiting crowd. Next thing Tohru knew, a young man in a light green apron pushed through the crowd.

"Excuse me, pardon me, if you would please move," the man said as he continued toward Asakawa and Honda. The Four Seasons logo was printed on the front of his apron. He had a slightly gangly build; somewhat long arms and a bit taller than the average Japanese man. It was a little obvious that his hair was neat before the lunchtime rush. When he reached the individual holding the card and stone, a smile lit up his exhausted face.

"Koichi, homie!" he greeted them. "How have you been?" the two friends high-fived and clasped the other's hand.

"Hey, didn't I tell you before that using American slang terms isn't like you?" Asakawa joked.

"Dude, get used to it." Koichi's friend then turned to Tohru. "Why, good afternoon, Miss." he said with a sweeping bow. "I must say, your eyes fill my world and put to shame a thousand stars." he winked when he saw a slight blush rise in her cheeks. When Tohru blinked and opened her eyes, she saw Koichi karate chop his friend on the head.

"Hey, save that for your girlfriend and stay away from mine." Koichi sniped.

"Wha?!" his friend said in surprise.

"Tohru-chan, this is my friend Kenji Nakagawa. He is the owner of the Four Seasons."

'Very pleased to meet you, I'm Tohru Honda." Honda introduced herself with a polite smile. After introductions, Tohru was led to a booth and was given a menu. But Koichi whispered something to Kenji who took back the menus and headed toward the kitchen.

"Did you just order for me?" Tohru asked in confusion.

"Yes, don't worry. I am sure you will like what I ordered." Koichi replied. Tohru just let his assumption slide.

"Oh, what a cute little shop." Hanajima commented after taking off her helmet and sliding down to the ground. After seeing the full parking lot, the group went to the back and found vacant slots.

"I remember this place," Kyo stated. "It's a ramen shop owned by the Sohmas."

"Wow, the Sohmas sure are business happy." Uo breathed.

"But, obviously the place is packed." Yuki pointed out the windows displaying the crowded tables and foyer. Along with the physical note, a silent word was also passed regarding the problem of transforming. As if on cue, stomachs growled except for Hanajima and Momiji.

"Aww man," Kyo cussed under his breath. "Why do wave girl and bunny boy have to be the only ones not starving."

"It's the power of potato chips and lollipops, Kyo." Momiji answered in a matter-of-factly fashion.

"No problem." Isuzu responded before Kyo could begin torturing his blonde-haired relative. She walked to the back of the shop and found the back door. Then Rin reached into her purse and found a purple card. She slipped the card into a card slot beside the door and entrance was instantly granted.

"Nice," Haru praised her and the group silently slipped inside. With the same card Isuzu was able to gain the attention of a waitress and a booth. It was only after their orders were placed when they noticed the conversation in the next booth.

"How did we move ahead of all those people?" Tohru asked Koichi. Haru reached in his pocket and pulled out two black beanie hats. One he threw to Kyo and out the other on. Kyo, after remembering his hair color, slipped on his loaned one.

"This card gives me priority." Koichi began. "This restaurant is run by the Sohma family. So the Sohmas, privileged friends, and those who pay can have a card like this." Uotani and Hanajima soaked in the information.

"Well, how are you related to the Sohmas?" Honda threw another question. Tohru's friends gave each other confused expressions. If they were boyfriend and girlfriend, shouldn't she know his relations? What is going on?

"Wow, Tohru-chan, you like to ask questions." Asakawa sighed. "Well, my family and the Sohmas are...friends." the word "friends" was a bit stressed. The Sohmas' faces turned to stone. Arisa and Saki bookmarked this moment in their minds for questioning later.

Before the discussion could continue, Nakagawa cheerfully came to Koichi's booth and presented their lunch: traditional ramen and onigiri in a variety of flavors.

"Oh! Plum-flavored onigiri, my favorite" Tohru exclaimed with glee. A small grin flashed on Asakawa's face and Kyo's face softened at a memory.

The couple's conversation mulled over simple topics such as the final project given by Mayuko- sensei and the latest Mogeta movie. Kyo and Yuki kept their guard up and their ears open though.

When Asakawa and Honda thanked Kenji and got up to leave, Momiji finished his sushi in anticipation and got ready to leave as well. When the little blonde-haired boy saw Asakawa's car start, he got up to leave but found that nobody else was following him.

"Um, they are leaving now..."

"Let them go," Kyo quipped. "Looks like she happy after all. I'm going to the bathroom." he placed the beanie hat on the table and took the safest route to the restroom.

"You've got some explaining to do, boys." Arisa almost demanded.

"Yes, indeed." Hanajima added.

"It's not us you ask the questions to." Haru threw back.

"It's Honda-san." Yuki clarified. While this dialogue played out, Isuzu and Momiji watched a certain pair of red taillights shrink more and more by the second; one with a look almost full of hatred and the other almost full of yearning.


	13. Chapter 13: Losing Grip

Konnichiwa, everybody!!! I am terribly sorry for the extreme delay of updates. I did not expect the rollercoaster of life to suddenly be missing a gap in the tracks, so I had to wait for a repair crew to fix it. Anyway, I started this chapter on a plane and am happy that I am finally typing it. Here goes! Oh yes, please tell me if the story seems to drag, I am trying to move this story on while encompassing the Sohma family within (what a large family!!!!). Finally, Happy Holidays!!!!!!!

P.S.: I hope you ate before reading this chapter. Just writing this made me hungry and I LOVE chicken katsu...

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Fruits Basket. I am just a loyal fan.**

**Chapter 13: Losing Grip**

After that lunch, everything seemed to change. The popularity of the new couple skyrocketed along with a new fanclub—The Koichi Asakawa Fanclub. In days Koichi grew to as much fame as Yuki and Kyo, maybe even more. He met all of the requirements for popularity: excellence in athletics and academics, kind and mature manner, strikingly good looks. But, what made him possibly pass the Prince and Orange-top the most was his relationship with Tohru Honda. Whenever the couple was seen together, the student body's opinion rose higher.

However, rumors about Tohru Honda and the Sohmas accumulated and spread. As the days passed, the more time Honda spent with Asakawa the more Yuki and Kyo distanced themselves from her. Obviously, the Prince Yuki and Kyo fanclubs were pleased with this. But, if Yuki and Kyo were friends with Koichi, as it appears, then how come they were not one good group of friends? Assumptions based on this question grew. The most popular following along the lines of Tohru being in a previous relationship with either Yuki or Kyo; when Koichi came along, she had dumped either the Prince or Orange-top for the new superstar. Thus leaving one of the Sohma cousins heartbroken and the other cousin in agreement (for the first time) with his relative. The darkest rumor however added more to the story. Ms. Honda could have played both of the Sohma cousins and dumped them for Asakawa. The only problem is that the Sohmas were maybe to proud or nice to say anything about how they were deceived by Honda.

These rumors did not seem to bother Honda, however. She continued to living as cheerfully as she could every school day, as usual. Asakawa drove her to and from school and spent lunch time with his girlfriend. When he joined or tried out for a sports team or match after school, Tohru was there to support him (not that he needed any more support). Everyone saw how the new transfer student, Koichi Asakawa, and the shy girl, Tohru Honda, had amazing chemistry. However, like many high school observations, the student body's visual sphere was only one-sided.

A new day began as Shigure woke up with a terrible lower back ache. He opened his eyes to find himself slouched on his chair before his computer, the manuscript that was due in two days still on the screen.

"Ugh," Shigure moaned. His right hand wiped across his face and his fingers took the sleep out of his eyes and adjusted his glasses. With both elbows on the arms of his chair, the author groaned and slowly lifted his body to a proper sitting position. He sighed as he looked at the unfinished context and scratched his head. With swift fingers he saved the document to work on later during the day and shut down the computer. Since he was still paying the Sohma family treasury for the repairs down for the gate of his house, wasting electricity wasn't the best thing to do. So much for leaving the computer on overnight.

As he opened his sliding door and stepped out into the hallway to look for breakfast the smell of rice and chicken katsu hit him like a tidal wave. With the eagerness of a puppy expecting a new toy, he tiptoed and peeked in the kitchen to find Tohru putting the food in serving plates and bowls.

Suddenly, a growl disturbed this peaceful scene. As Shigure absorbed the aftershock of this noise, he looked down and realized his own stomach, supposedly his ally in the fight against hunger, had betrayed him. But, in reply to this monstrous sound, was a soft tinkling that came from the kitchen. Shigure, with a face of horror, looked up to find Tohru chuckling, trying to stifle her laughter. Relief washed over him at seeing her smiling face. Ever since he heard about the rumors of her having a relationship with Asakawa, she had seemed to be avoiding everyone in the house. Maybe today will be different.

"Need any help?" Shigure asked with a smile, offering to place the food on the table.

"Oh, yes, thanks". Tohru replied while rubbing the bandage on her left hand. She placed her apron back on a hook on the wall. "I'll be right here. I just need to prepare my surprise entrée."

"Oooh, can I see?" He almost hopped to the microwave that Tohru opened up to reveal the mysterious dish. Shigure's smile grew. "Perfect thing for the morning, Tohru."

"Grah, I'm starving!" Kyo proclaimed stretching as he entered the dining room. He found the rest of the household already enjoying breakfast, which was almost finished. "Hey! Why didn't you save anything for me, Rat?!"

"Well, you should have woken up earlier." Yuki retorted. "That way you could have hogged more food for yourself."

"What did you say?!!"

"Kyo-kun, please, not this early in the morning," Shigure begged, "You could be the cause of an avalanche. Besides, I'm betting Tohru has more food ready in case we run out of any chicken katsu."

"Sorry," Tohru apologized, "I forgot to go grocery shopping yesterday, so I didn't have enough katsu to feed everyone." Kyo found her rubbing the bandage on her hand constantly.

"No problem. Anyway, is your hand okay?"

"Yeah," Shigure added. "You were rubbing it earlier, too."

"It's nothing," Tohru assured them. "It has just been bothering me this morning."

"Do you want me to change the bandage?" Yuki asked, concerned.

"Thanks, but no thank you." Tohru gently declined the offer.

"Anyway, rat boy, your bandaging skills suck." Kyo quipped in.

"Well, at least I don't fight with no aim." Yuki replied.

"You know what?! If you have a problem, let's take it outside--!" Kyo stomach roared as he pointed outside to accompany his challenge to Yuki. With embarrassment, he sat down at the table and continued to eat his portion.

"Haha, must run in the family." Shigure told Tohru.

"What was that?" the Cat asked.

"Nothing." Shigure said innocently. "I was just pointing out a common trait to Tohru, since we witnessed something peculiar this morning."

"And what did you two see this morning?" Yuki and Kyo asked, standing up with a dark aura resonating from their voices. As usual, the stomachs of the Sohma protested against their actions and they sat down.

"I guess it is time to get the next dish." Tohru said thoughtfully and picked up the empty serving plate to go to the kitchen and get more food.

"Yay! The mystery dish!" Shigure said with excitement. Yuki and Kyo let him jump in his seat like a kid, too tired to retaliate anymore.

"Why do you guys think she is so...happy?" Kyo asked, his face buried in his arm on the dining table.

"Doesn't she have the right to be happy?" Yuki asked back.

"That's not what I meant."

"Boys," Shigure interrupted in fear of a fight breaking out. "I think this is the chance to cherish this happy moment. For all we know, Tohru might have just had a monthly visitor and just needed to get over it." His cousins gave him looks that could kill. "Or, she could have had some problem at work that we didn't know." The author quickly added. "In any case, let's just move on from here and forget about the past couple of days. You know, que sera sera."

"If you say so." Kyo said bluntly. In a moment, he his head looked up and as a smell from the kitchen wandered its way to his nose. A smell that he detested with a passion that burned within the depth's of this stomach's soul. "You have got to be joking..." Now his mouth was watering with the horrid taste. "It can't be..."

"Leeks, everybody!" Tohru announced cheerfully as she came out of the chicken. Shigure and Yuki clapped appreciatively while Kyo slumped in his seat.

"It had to be this..." he said sadly as he began to perspire.

"I really am sorry, it was the last thing I could use..." Tohru apologized again. Before Tohru could finish her apology, however, Yuki's hands took Kyo's chopsticks and skillfully force fed his cousin.

"Eat it, NOW." Yuki stressed. All that Kyo could do was painstakingly eat the veggie that was prepared for the household.

Shigure smiled at the familiar scene before him. But the atmosphere changed quickly when he saw Tohru's grinning face become washed in pain. "Tohru!" he said urgently. He stood up form his seat and went to Tohru. He looked down to see that she was clutching her left hand, its bandage with a smear of red. "You're bleeding!"

The two boys stopped what they were doing and looked immediately at their classmate. Indeed, Shigure was holding the injured hand and was already beginning to unwrap the bandage.

"Yuki, hurry, get the medical kit in the cabinet." Shigure ordered, but Tohru quickly took her hand back from Shigure's care.

"It's fine." she said calmly, her head down. "I can take care of it myself, you don't need to worry about me. If you don't eat your breakfast, we'll be late." She stood up and walked toward the kitchen when she heard the doorbell ring. "I'll get it."

"No," Kyo walked past her. "Take care of that hand first."

As Kyo approached the door and opened it, he found Koichi Asakawa standing there with his keys in hand.

"Good morning, Kyo," Asakawa said politely, "is Tohru ready for school?"

"No," Kyo said bluntly while blocking the doorway. "She needs to get her hand bandaged first."

"What happened?" Asakawa almost took a step to forcefully enter the house.

"She's fine." a calm voice replied. Asakawa and Kyo looked up to find Yuki standing in the hallway. "A cut on her left hand opened after she rubbed it for a while. She will be fine in a moment. You can see her if you want."

"Yes, please." Koichi said, the last word almost directly toward Kyo. The Cat moved slightly to allow his new classmate leeway and Asakawa swiftly walked past him.

"Tohru!" he called into the house. His call was responded by Honda's voice in the kitchen, which he followed. Kyo looked at Yuki with a sense of hatred in his eyes. But Yuki just shrugged it off and the Sohmas headed toward the kitchen.

"Really, Tohru," they found Koichi sigh as they entered the kitchen. "If you keep irritating the wound, you might get an infection." Asakawa was bandaging her hand gently and Tohru looked at him with a look that almost symbolized relief.

"Sorry, I really didn't mean to cause any trouble..." she apologized.

"That's okay," Asakawa said. "I guess that's what I came here for." He finished off the bandage and they both looked at each other in a way that made the Cat and the Rat uncomfortable. "Well then," Koichi continued as he put away the medical kit. "I guess we should be on our way then." He put his arm around Tohru and picked up her school bag in the hallway. "See you guys later." he waved to Yuki and Kyo.

"Later." Yuki said with a smile. As the couple came close to the door, Asakawa turned to the stairs.

"Goodbye, Shigure-sensei." he called up the stairs.

"Hope to see you soon, Koichi." Shigure's voice said down the stairs.

Soon the black car was speeding out of the driveway out of sight. Shigure looked in content at the vehicle go down the road with this chin in his hand, elbow leaning upon the windowsill. He looked up to find a lone bird flying. _A sign..._


	14. Chapter 14: Decode

Hello, everybody! I am so happy that this fanfic is gaining more readers! ^.^ I hope you all enjoy my writing and I apologize if anything is confusing (please let me know if this is so). Haha, when I was writing this chapter I remembered why my parents told me as a kid not to kick any rocks or pine cones even though we would be walking in a parking lot...

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Fruits Basket**

**Chapter 14: Decode**

The buzzing of the engine filled the air inside the car. Tohru's eyes were closed as she breathed evenly, relaxing her back and shoulders.

"You okay?" Koichi asked casually. Tohru opened her eyes a little bit and found him still focused on the road.

"Yeah." she replied quickly and turned toward him. As she was about to ask him a question, he interrupted her.

"So, you didn't expect that cut to open or to hurt, didn't you?"

Tohru glared at him and then faced forward again.

"I told you it was going to hurt." he continued. "And as time passes the effect of that cut is going to grow more and more. So don't try to go against me."

Tohru's heart fell. She felt tears water up in her eyes and, in a desperate attempt to not cry, she took off her shoes and curled into a ball on the passenger seat, her head on her knees. She tried to breathe evenly, but her breaths almost came out as muttered cries. In order to keep all of her emotion in, she wrapped her arms around her legs and drew them closer to her. However, this only caused her to shake. Just as she was about to give up an assuring hand was on her shoulder, comforting her. Tohru looked up to find Asakawa with a worried face. His eyebrows were knit together with concern as he took his hand away.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I hurt you in any way." Koichi apologized. "I did not mean to hurt you. If I do, just let me know. I just want to get you out of the Sohmas lives as quickly and easily as possible."

"Why?" Tohru almost choked the single word question. Her emotions changed again, taken aback by this sudden display of compassion from her "boyfriend" who was distancing her away from her friends. She soon regretted even asking because he looked down, closed eyes, and sighed as he clutched the steering wheel.

"I can't tell you." he replied. His expression changed as he looked at her and smiled. "But, if you need to cry, you can. Let your feelings out every once in a while. Because, if you don't, you'll probably explode." he said the last sentence jokingly.

At that point, Tohru did not have any strength anymore. A tear slid down her cheek, leaving a warm trail behind it. Koichi's right hand, with almost no hesitation, let go of the steering wheel and brushed the tear away. As soon as this was done, his hand stopped and pulled away from her face, as if it was on fire, and Tohru saw his face twist with pain. Before she knew it, the car veered to the left. She grabbed the steering wheel and gained control of the car. When she looked up at Asakawa, he replaced both hands at ten and two and tried to control his breathing.

"Sorry, I'm fine." he said quickly. "Let's just get to school in one piece..."

"You know, she looked relieved when he came to pick her up." Yuki said as he walked to school.

"Shut up." Kyo said behind him. "I'm not blind."

"Well, do you remember Koichi's family?" Yuki asked his cousin.

"Why should I remember?" Kyo replied with an edge in his voice. He already felt uncomfortable talking about this topic, but something made him think that Yuki might be leading him somewhere since they rarely talked to each other on the way to school. "Anyway, his family issues weren't my business. I just know that he has a mom, a dad, and an older sister who sometimes trained with us in Shishou's dojo." The Cat kicked a random rock with frustration. It bounced past Yuki and onto the road where a car ran over it. The rock then flew and hit the windshield of a second car with a crack. About ten seconds later the second car began to honk angrily, evidently stating that its windshield had been cracked.

"Nice..." Yuki said sarcastically.

"Shut up...!" Kyo said quietly as he glanced behind him and walked a little faster.

"Going back to the subject," Yuki continued, "do you know about the death of his parents?"

"Who wouldn't know? It was practically broadcasted to everybody."

"And do you know why?"

"No."

"Well," Yuki stopped walking. "You are the Cat, so you shouldn't know." Kyo stopped next to Yuki.

"I'm listening. But, first off, why are you telling me this? I mean, Akito will get on your case, especially since you are the Rat."

"Because I am not able to take Tohru back alone."

Kyo looked back at Yuki, shocked and not able to understand what his cousin was saying. "What?"

"The reason why the Asakawas are good friends with the Sohmas is because they head an organization called the Guardians. This organization began centuries ago when one of the ancestors of the Asakawas became friends with the head of the Sohma family at the time. The Asakawa ancestor pledged loyalty to the Sohmas and that was when the Guardians were formed and tasked to protect the Zodiac." Yuki turned to Kyo. "Now do you understand why Koichi and his sister were allowed to train with us at the dojo?"

Kyo's head began to spin. He thought back to his childhood...

_"Hai!" the young Kyo cried as he striked the wooden post with precision. The pole shook from the impact. _

_"Wow, Kyo-chan!" Kagura said with admiration. "I'll try, too! Hai!" Kagura's foot flew and hit the pole in the same spot. The only difference is that this time the pole split in half._

_"Kagura!" Kyo said with frustration. "Not again...!"_

_"Oh, I'm sorry..." the young boar apologized._

_"Kagura," Haru butted in, "you really should control that strength." As Kagura and Hatsuharu discussed the basics of control, Kyo looked at Shishou to ask him when they would start. But he saw his master talking to a tall man, a child flanked on each side. On the man's left was a girl about two years older than Kyo. She looked calm, an atmosphere of determination swirled around her. Kyo had no doubt that she came here to train, though he could not tell her skill through her poker face expression. On the man's right was a little boy about the same age as Kyo. He looked shy as he clung on to a small part of the man's shirt. His little hands were shaking as he looked left and right around the dojo. Soon enough, his eyes met Kyo's and held for a moment. Kyo saw the boy's eyes scan him up and down, stopping at his head where his orange hair obviously awed the visitor. When the boy noticed that Kyo was looking at him too, he looked away and tugged at the girl's hand. The girl looked down at him with one raised eyebrow. As the little boy opened his mouth, he closed it again and nodded his head. Kyo couldn't understand the communication between the two as they bowed respectfully to Shishou. _

"Now I see." Kyo shook his head. "But, if the Guardians are under the head of the Sohma family, does that mean that Akito..."

"I don't know," Yuki murmured. "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't look into it."

"Well, have any ideas, Rat?" Kyo asked his cousin.

"Of course?" Yuki responded. "Do you think I wouldn't have one by now?"

"Heh," Kyo smirked. "When will that begin?"

"Today." Yuki responded. "You better be ready."

"Why?"

"Because, like I said, I can't take her back alone."


End file.
